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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: dip · charge · tear · band · rash · shower · cap · vault

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rash — a series
  3. charge — in control
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. rash — hasty
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. shower — to wash
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cap — a lid
  19. tear — to rip
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. vault — a safe
  22. cap — of ice
  23. dip — to sink
  24. cap — a hat

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