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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · lean · hide · tear · stick · charge

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — a price
  6. tear — from crying
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lean — to bend
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. charge — electricity
  16. staff — employees
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lean — thin

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