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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 · wake · lie · pop · kick · row · rush

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pop — to visit
  6. row — a line
  7. pop — soda
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pop — music
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. row — to paddle
  14. kick — in football
  15. charge — in control
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. lie — to recline
  18. charge — a price
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. charge — electricity
  24. hide — animal skin

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