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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 120 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: root · pitcher · row · stick · rush · capital · shower · charge

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. capital — a city
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rush — hurry
  6. charge — in control
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. row — a line
  10. shower — to wash
  11. capital — money
  12. root — of a plant
  13. shower — rain
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — a price
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. root — of a word
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. root — the cause
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. row — to paddle

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