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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: hide · shower · rest · net · prune · lean · charge · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rest — what's left
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. lean — thin
  7. shower — rain
  8. net — after costs
  9. charge — a price
  10. rest — a break
  11. charge — in control
  12. net — for catching
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. kid — child
  16. shower — to wash
  17. lean — to bend
  18. net — in sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rest — what's left
  21. charge — electricity
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. prune — to trim

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