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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: wake · tear · charge · suit · ground · lie · leaves · scale

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. lie — to recline
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. suit — in cards
  10. charge — in control
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. charge — electricity
  13. suit — to fit
  14. ground — the earth
  15. suit — clothes
  16. scale — in music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wake — a trail
  19. charge — a price
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ground — crushed
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ground — a position

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