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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: cap · club · shower · wake · wave · racket · charge · ground

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cap — a hat
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. club — for dancing
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. ground — crushed
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. charge — in control
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. ground — a position
  13. wake — a trail
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. club — a group
  18. ground — the earth
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. shower — rain
  22. club — for golf
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. charge — electricity

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