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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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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: bank · wind · tear · shower · charge · jam

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wind — moving air
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bank — for money
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. charge — a price
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bank — for money
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — electricity
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wind — moving air
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. bank — of a river

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