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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.

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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 · tube · charge · net · prune · safe · arm · dip

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. charge — a price
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. tube — the underground
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. net — for catching
  13. charge — electricity
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. dip — to sink
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. shower — rain
  21. tube — a container
  22. charge — in control
  23. shower — to wash
  24. arm — part of the body

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