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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 120 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mug — to rob
  5. rest — what's left
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. capital — a city
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mug — a face
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. rest — a break
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. charge — in control
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mug — a cup
  20. tear — from crying
  21. capital — money
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. capital — a big letter

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