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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: dip · wind · cabinet · row · shower · charge · kid · mouse

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. kid — to tease
  3. row — a line
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wind — moving air
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kid — child
  10. wind — moving air
  11. shower — rain
  12. dip — to sink
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. shower — to wash
  16. charge — a price
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. charge — in control
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. row — to paddle
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. row — a quarrel

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