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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: hand · rush · content · saw · leaves · clip · charge · calf

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rush — hurry
  5. charge — a price
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. charge — electricity
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. saw — the tool
  16. content — the amount
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. saw — the tool
  21. clip — a video
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. charge — in control
  24. rush — to hurry

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