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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 · shower · capital · swing · spring · rash · ground · safe

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. ground — the earth
  3. swing — music
  4. shower — rain
  5. capital — a city
  6. rash — a series
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — the season
  11. capital — money
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. swing — to play on
  14. spring — a coil
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. charge — a price
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. charge — in control
  20. rash — hasty
  21. shower — to wash
  22. swing — in golf
  23. ground — a position
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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