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

Word bank: jam · tear · lean · kid · rule · charge

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. charge — a price
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. lean — thin
  5. kid — child
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. tear — from crying
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. kid — to tease
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rule — a law
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. charge — electricity
  15. rule — government
  16. lean — to bend
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. charge — in control

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