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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.

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: content · charge · cabinet · tube · land · tear · degree · lean

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. charge — electricity
  3. land — a country
  4. lean — to bend
  5. land — ground
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. tear — from crying
  8. charge — a price
  9. degree — temperature
  10. content — happy
  11. degree — an amount
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. charge — in control
  18. degree — from a university
  19. content — the amount
  20. lean — thin
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. tear — from crying

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