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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: land · vault · root · shower · fork · charge · scale · tube

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. scale — size or range
  3. shower — to wash
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. scale — in music
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. shower — rain
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. root — of a plant
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. vault — a safe
  14. land — to come down
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — a price
  17. root — of a word
  18. charge — electricity
  19. land — a country
  20. tube — a container
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. root — the cause
  23. fork — in a road
  24. scale — for weighing

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