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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
468
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: mate · charge · bound · shower · prune · kick · scale · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mate — a partner
  4. charge — electricity
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. mate — to breed
  7. prune — to trim
  8. charge — in control
  9. scale — in music
  10. kick — in football
  11. bound — obliged
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. scale — size or range
  14. charge — a price
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bound — tied together
  17. prune — to trim
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bound — certain
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mate — a friend

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