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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: charge · clip · cap · shower · can · wake · temple · bound

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. clip — for paper
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. charge — electricity
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bound — obliged
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. charge — in control
  11. bound — certain
  12. cap — of ice
  13. can — a tin
  14. cap — a hat
  15. charge — a price
  16. shower — rain
  17. wake — a trail
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bound — tied together
  21. can — a tin
  22. clip — to cut
  23. shower — to wash
  24. clip — a video

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