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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. charge — a price
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. charge — electricity
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. land — to come down
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. land — ground
  21. charge — in control
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. land — a country

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