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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · perch · shower · tear · saw · mark · march · dip

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. shower — to wash
  4. march — music
  5. tear — to rip
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mark — a grade
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. shower — rain
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. dip — to sink
  14. march — the month
  15. charge — in control
  16. tear — from crying
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. saw — the tool
  19. perch — the fish
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mark — a trace
  23. saw — the tool
  24. march — the month

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