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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: season · shower · tear · fine · charge · ground · rash · deal

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. fine — all right
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. charge — in control
  5. deal — to handle
  6. season — of the year
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. season — in sport
  11. shower — to wash
  12. charge — electricity
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ground — the earth
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fine — high quality
  18. charge — a price
  19. rash — a series
  20. shower — rain
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rash — hasty
  23. tear — from crying
  24. deal — a big deal

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