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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: cell · tear · board · stick · arm · charge

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. charge — a price
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. charge — in control
  8. cell — in biology
  9. charge — electricity
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. cell — a phone
  18. arm — a part of something

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