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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: land · shower · current · date · charge · face · perch · stock

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. charge — electricity
  3. current — of water
  4. face — to confront
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. charge — in control
  8. current — happening now
  9. land — ground
  10. face — part of the head
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. charge — a price
  14. perch — the fish
  15. current — electric
  16. date — the fruit
  17. stock — goods
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. face — to point toward
  24. stock — shares

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