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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: swing · shower · safe · content · face · charge · mouse · tear

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. swing — to play on
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. face — part of the head
  6. swing — music
  7. charge — in control
  8. tear — from crying
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. content — the amount
  12. shower — rain
  13. charge — electricity
  14. content — happy
  15. tear — to rip
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. face — to point toward
  19. charge — a price
  20. tear — from crying
  21. swing — in golf
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. face — to confront

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