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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: hand · stick · cold · shower · rest · charge · squash · wave

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. charge — electricity
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. charge — in control
  9. rest — what's left
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rest — a break
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. cold — not warm
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. shower — rain
  18. hand — help
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cold — an illness
  21. shower — to wash
  22. charge — a price
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rest — what's left

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