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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 · sharp · file · lean · bound · rush · charge · chest

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. shower — rain
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. lean — to bend
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bound — tied together
  8. charge — a price
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. shower — to wash
  12. chest — a box
  13. bound — certain
  14. charge — electricity
  15. file — a line of people
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bound — obliged
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rush — hurry
  22. charge — in control
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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