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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: shower · lash · snap · land · rock · clip · charge · pop

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. land — a country
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pop — music
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pop — soda
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. land — ground
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. charge — in control
  15. clip — a video
  16. land — to come down
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rock — music
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. clip — to cut
  21. snap — to click
  22. charge — electricity
  23. pop — to visit
  24. charge — a price

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