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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bank — for money
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rest — what's left
  6. prune — to trim
  7. row — to paddle
  8. charge — in control
  9. spell — letters
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bank — for money
  14. spell — a short time
  15. charge — electricity
  16. rest — a break
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. row — a line
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bank — of a river
  24. spell — magic

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