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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: bore · leaves · fan · shower · can · clip · rush · charge

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. charge — in control
  6. shower — rain
  7. charge — a price
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. can — a tin
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. shower — to wash
  13. charge — electricity
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. can — a tin
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rush — hurry
  24. leaves — of a tree

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