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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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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: staff · wound · cap · charge · kick · lean · tear · key

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. key — the most important part
  3. cap — of ice
  4. charge — in control
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. staff — employees
  7. tear — from crying
  8. staff — employees
  9. lean — thin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. charge — a price
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. cap — a lid
  16. key — in music
  17. lean — to bend
  18. staff — a stick
  19. key — for a lock
  20. charge — electricity
  21. kick — in football
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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