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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: stem · drill · tear · charge · chest · swing

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — a practice
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. charge — a price
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stem — to come from
  8. swing — to play on
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. charge — electricity
  11. drill — army training
  12. chest — a box
  13. charge — in control
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chest — of your body
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. tear — to rip

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