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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: sharp · board · deal · charge · fall · shower · tube · wind

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wind — moving air
  3. charge — electricity
  4. tube — the underground
  5. shower — to wash
  6. fall — to drop
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. shower — rain
  9. fall — to drop
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wind — moving air
  12. board — to get on
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. charge — a price
  15. deal — to handle
  16. charge — in control
  17. fall — the season
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tube — a container
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. tube — in a tire

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