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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bank — for money
  4. field — farmland
  5. bank — for money
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. charge — a price
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. kick — in football
  12. toast — bread
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mark — a grade
  15. field — a subject
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. can — a tin
  20. tear — to rip
  21. field — for sport
  22. mark — a trace
  23. charge — in control
  24. toast — the most admired

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