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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: key · shower · lie · charge · rash · tear · wave · degree

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. tear — from crying
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rash — a series
  6. degree — from a university
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. shower — rain
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rash — hasty
  13. charge — in control
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. charge — electricity
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lie — to recline
  21. key — in music
  22. charge — a price
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. lie — an untruth

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