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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: shower · jam · date · leaves · bat · charge · spring · fan

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. spring — the season
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spring — of water
  13. shower — rain
  14. spring — a coil
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. date — the fruit
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bat — the animal
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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