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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 120 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: shower · dip · pop · charge · kid · hide · bulb · can

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bulb — for light
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — music
  6. can — a tin
  7. shower — rain
  8. pop — soda
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. charge — a price
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bulb — for light
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. kid — child
  15. shower — to wash
  16. charge — in control
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. dip — to sink
  21. can — a tin
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. charge — electricity
  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