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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 120 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: cue · march · tear · shower · charge · pitcher · bass · nail

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. charge — a price
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cue — a signal
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. march — music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. charge — in control
  18. cue — for pool
  19. march — the month
  20. bass — low music
  21. march — the month
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. charge — electricity

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