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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · wave · mug · charge · tear · date · staff · craft

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. staff — employees
  5. degree — an amount
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. charge — in control
  8. craft — boats
  9. charge — a price
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mug — to rob
  12. tear — from crying
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. tear — from crying
  16. staff — a stick
  17. tear — to rip
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — a cup
  22. staff — employees
  23. craft — a skill
  24. date — the fruit

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