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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. charge — electricity
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fall — to drop
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. fall — to drop
  8. tear — from crying
  9. prune — to trim
  10. charge — in control
  11. tear — to rip
  12. shower — rain
  13. prune — to trim
  14. capital — a city
  15. fall — the season
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. capital — money
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. board — a committee
  20. shower — to wash
  21. board — to get on
  22. charge — a price
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — a strongbox

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