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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: kick · shower · current · pop · prune · bound · charge · toast

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bound — obliged
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bound — tied together
  6. charge — a price
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. current — of water
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. shower — rain
  11. charge — electricity
  12. prune — to trim
  13. current — electric
  14. pop — soda
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. charge — in control
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. toast — bread
  23. kick — in football
  24. bound — certain

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