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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: bound · club · current · rest · hide · shower · charge · fall

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. charge — electricity
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. current — electric
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. current — of water
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bound — certain
  13. club — a group
  14. charge — in control
  15. rest — what's left
  16. current — happening now
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. charge — a price
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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