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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: kick · wind · rest · charge · shower · craft · straw · row

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. craft — boats
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. charge — in control
  9. row — to paddle
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. shower — to wash
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rest — what's left
  20. craft — a skill
  21. kick — in football
  22. shower — rain
  23. rest — a break
  24. charge — a price

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