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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bank — for money
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bore — to tire
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a list
  8. charge — electricity
  9. squash — to crush
  10. roll — a cake
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bank — for money
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. charge — in control
  18. bore — to drill
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bank — of a river
  21. squash — the sport
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. lie — to recline

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