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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · hand · charge · cabinet · fan · shower · temple · tear

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. field — a subject
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. field — for sport
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. charge — in control
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. charge — electricity
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. field — farmland
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. tear — to rip
  22. shower — rain
  23. charge — a price
  24. shower — to wash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com