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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.

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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: charge · rock · straw · pop · plane · shower · staff · fork

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pop — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. charge — a price
  8. rock — music
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. staff — employees
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. charge — in control
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. staff — a stick
  19. shower — to wash
  20. fork — in a road
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. staff — employees
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. shower — rain

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