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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: current · object · hide · tear · squash · rock · charge · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. charge — in control
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. tear — to rip
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. rock — a stone
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. object — a thing
  10. current — happening now
  11. object — an aim
  12. current — of water
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rock — music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. charge — electricity
  19. object — to protest
  20. charge — a price
  21. fall — the season
  22. current — electric
  23. tear — from crying
  24. squash — to crush

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