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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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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: band · tear · lean · kick · field · charge · pitch · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. kick — in football
  4. shower — to wash
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. shower — rain
  7. field — a subject
  8. charge — electricity
  9. lean — thin
  10. charge — a price
  11. band — a ring
  12. tear — to rip
  13. charge — in control
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. field — for sport
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. band — a music group
  20. field — farmland
  21. pitch — completely
  22. lean — to bend
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pitch — a sports field

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