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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: straw · charge · hand · kick · tear · land · root · stock

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. kick — in football
  4. root — of a word
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. tear — from crying
  7. land — to come down
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. land — ground
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. charge — electricity
  15. tear — to rip
  16. land — a country
  17. stock — goods
  18. charge — in control
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. root — the cause
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. charge — a price
  24. root — of a plant

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