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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 116 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 · leaves · fan · shower · charge · racket · land · bound

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bound — certain
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. charge — in control
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. land — ground
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. shower — rain
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. shower — to wash
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. charge — a price
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. bound — tied together

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