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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: march · rush · coach · land · wound · pass · shower · charge

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. wound — an injury
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. land — a country
  6. charge — a price
  7. shower — rain
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. march — the month
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. shower — to wash
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. land — ground
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. land — to come down
  21. charge — electricity
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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