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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: fall · chest · fan · pass · shower · charge · tube · bore

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. charge — electricity
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. tube — a container
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. shower — to wash
  9. chest — a box
  10. pass — a permit
  11. shower — rain
  12. bore — to drill
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tube — the underground
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fall — the season
  19. charge — in control
  20. bore — to tire
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. charge — a price

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