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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: row · sharp · cap · bulb · shower · charge · rock · hide

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cap — of ice
  5. sharp — clever
  6. charge — in control
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bulb — for light
  11. charge — a price
  12. shower — rain
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. charge — electricity
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bulb — for light
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cap — a lid
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. shower — to wash
  24. hide — to keep secret

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