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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. charge — in control
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. tear — from crying
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. press — a publisher
  17. charge — a price
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. content — the amount
  22. press — to push
  23. content — happy
  24. pitcher — a jug

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