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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — a price
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. tear — to rip
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. tear — from crying
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. prune — to trim
  12. staff — employees
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. tear — from crying
  15. charge — electricity
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. wound — an injury
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stem — to come from
  24. racket — for tennis

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