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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: bay · perch · shower · mug · charge · date · mark · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mark — a grade
  3. perch — the fish
  4. shower — to wash
  5. date — the fruit
  6. tear — to rip
  7. mug — a face
  8. charge — a price
  9. mug — a cup
  10. charge — electricity
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. charge — in control
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. shower — rain
  21. mark — a trace
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. date — on the calendar

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