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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: cell · season · plane · charge · ruler · fork · lash · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. charge — a price
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. charge — electricity
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. shower — rain
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. season — of the year
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. cell — in biology
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. season — in sport
  16. charge — in control
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. plane — a tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cell — a phone

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