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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: charge · bore · mine · tear · lean · jam · cap · fall

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. 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. tear — to rip
  2. cap — of ice
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. charge — a price
  6. fall — to drop
  7. charge — electricity
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. cap — a lid
  10. fall — to drop
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bore — to drill
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cap — a hat
  18. lean — thin
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. lean — to bend
  21. fall — the season
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. tear — from crying
  24. 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