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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rest — what's left
  3. charge — electricity
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. charge — in control
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. chair — a leader
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. plane — a tool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. branch — a division
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. tear — to rip
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. charge — a price
  24. plane — in geometry

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