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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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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: key · shower · face · bear · track · charge · pound · tear

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bear — the animal
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. face — part of the head
  5. track — to keep track
  6. face — to confront
  7. bear — the animal
  8. key — in music
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. track — a song
  12. tear — to rip
  13. shower — to wash
  14. charge — electricity
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pound — a weight
  17. tear — from crying
  18. shower — rain
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. key — for a lock
  21. face — to point toward
  22. tear — from crying
  23. charge — in control
  24. track — a path

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