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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 116 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: wind · rest · shower · can · charge · fall · key · scale

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. shower — rain
  3. rest — what's left
  4. charge — a price
  5. can — a tin
  6. key — in music
  7. can — to be able to
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. fall — the season
  13. can — a tin
  14. charge — electricity
  15. key — the most important part
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wind — moving air
  18. scale — in music
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wind — moving air
  23. charge — in control
  24. scale — for weighing

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