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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bore — to drill
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bank — for money
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. bank — of a river
  9. tear — to rip
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. face — to point toward
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. tear — from crying
  16. snap — to click
  17. lean — to bend
  18. shower — rain
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bank — for money
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — in control

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