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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: arm · staff · shower · snap · roll · leaves · charge · tear

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. tear — to rip
  3. charge — in control
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. charge — electricity
  6. staff — a stick
  7. shower — rain
  8. roll — a list
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. tear — from crying
  11. roll — a cake
  12. staff — employees
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. snap — to click
  20. shower — to wash
  21. staff — employees
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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