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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: row · shower · charge · wake · vault · can · capital · current

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. charge — electricity
  3. can — a tin
  4. charge — a price
  5. row — to paddle
  6. capital — a city
  7. vault — a safe
  8. current — happening now
  9. shower — to wash
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. can — to be able to
  12. shower — rain
  13. current — of water
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. capital — money
  16. charge — in control
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wake — a trail
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. row — a line
  21. current — electric
  22. can — a tin
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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