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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · wake · fall · charge · shower · hide · lash · temple

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wake — a trail
  3. charge — electricity
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. charge — a price
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fall — the season
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. stock — goods
  15. charge — in control
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. stock — shares
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. hide — to keep secret

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