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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. current — of water
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. tear — from crying
  8. kid — to tease
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. current — electric
  15. charge — electricity
  16. current — happening now
  17. kid — child
  18. row — a line
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. charge — a price
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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