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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: saw · charge · land · firm · content · fan · bore · shower

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. land — a country
  4. shower — to wash
  5. firm — steady
  6. content — the amount
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. land — to come down
  9. content — happy
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bore — to drill
  13. land — ground
  14. bore — to tire
  15. saw — the tool
  16. charge — in control
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. firm — decided
  20. charge — a price
  21. shower — rain
  22. firm — a company
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. fan — a supporter

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