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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 120 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: scale · tear · spell · charge · rock · rush · lean · arm

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rock — a stone
  7. tear — from crying
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. charge — a price
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rock — music
  19. lean — thin
  20. charge — in control
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. spell — magic

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