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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: track · bay · rush · charge · mine · tear · land · leaves

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. track — to keep track
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. rush — hurry
  17. charge — in control
  18. track — a path
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. tear — from crying
  21. track — a song
  22. charge — electricity
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mine — an explosive

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