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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: charge · leaves · bat · temple · current · band · lash · shower

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — to wash
  4. charge — electricity
  5. current — happening now
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. current — electric
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. charge — a price
  10. band — a music group
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. current — of water
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. band — a ring
  17. shower — rain
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. charge — in control
  24. leaves — to go away

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