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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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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 · wake · charge · race · bowl · kick · wax · wind

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. charge — in control
  3. shower — to wash
  4. charge — a price
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. kick — in football
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. shower — rain
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. race — a contest
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wax — to grow

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