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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 116 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: tear · fall · shower · club · land · firm · bank · charge

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. shower — to wash
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — decided
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. club — for dancing
  8. fall — the season
  9. charge — electricity
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bank — for money
  12. club — a group
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — in control
  15. land — a country
  16. tear — from crying
  17. firm — steady
  18. club — for golf
  19. fall — to drop
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. land — to come down
  22. fall — to drop
  23. shower — rain
  24. tear — to rip

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