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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: fork · shower · spell · charge · snap · lean · jam · row

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. row — a line
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. charge — electricity
  5. fork — in a road
  6. row — to paddle
  7. spell — letters
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. lean — thin
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. snap — to click
  12. charge — a price
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. shower — to wash
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. spell — magic
  19. lean — to bend
  20. spell — a short time
  21. charge — in control
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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