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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: sharp · leaves · shower · band · foot · charge · spell · perch

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. charge — a price
  5. band — a music group
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. spell — letters
  9. foot — a measure
  10. charge — in control
  11. spell — magic
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. sharp — clever
  15. shower — to wash
  16. charge — electricity
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. shower — rain
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. spell — a short time

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