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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: shower · rash · hide · file · stand · current · charge · content

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. current — electric
  3. content — the amount
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — in control
  6. file — a line of people
  7. shower — to wash
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. charge — a price
  11. current — of water
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. content — happy
  17. rash — a series
  18. file — a tool
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. current — happening now
  21. rash — hasty
  22. file — a document
  23. shower — rain
  24. stand — to bear

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