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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: tear · squash · season · charge · jam · root · kick · wind

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. kick — in football
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. root — of a plant
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. charge — in control
  12. season — in sport
  13. root — of a word
  14. charge — electricity
  15. squash — to crush
  16. root — the cause
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wind — moving air
  20. season — of the year
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. wind — moving air
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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