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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 · hide · lean · degree · current · shower · deal · kid

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. charge — a price
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — electricity
  10. shower — to wash
  11. deal — to handle
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. degree — temperature
  16. lean — thin
  17. current — happening now
  18. shower — rain
  19. kid — child
  20. lean — to bend
  21. current — electric
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. degree — from a university
  24. current — of water

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