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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · mate · field · rest · mouse · cabinet · charge · shower

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rest — a break
  10. mate — to breed
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. charge — in control
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. field — a subject
  20. mate — a partner
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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