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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 · coach · mug · charge · bear · wound · march · bore

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mug — a face
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. charge — electricity
  11. march — the month
  12. mug — to rob
  13. shower — to wash
  14. charge — a price
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wound — an injury
  20. march — music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. march — the month
  23. shower — rain
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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