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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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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 · face · hide · charge · wake · bore · sharp · stand

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. face — part of the head
  6. sharp — clever
  7. face — to confront
  8. wake — a trail
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bore — to tire
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bore — to drill
  23. charge — in control
  24. shower — rain

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