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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 116 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: pop · charge · last · tear · swing · row · patient · chair

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. charge — electricity
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tear — from crying
  6. row — a line
  7. last — finally
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. swing — in golf
  11. chair — a leader
  12. charge — a price
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. swing — music
  15. row — to paddle
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pop — to visit
  19. charge — in control
  20. last — final
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pop — soda
  23. last — to go on
  24. chair — a professorship

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