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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: staff · race · bore · bulb · tear · swing · charge · mine

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. charge — a price
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bore — to tire
  6. race — humankind
  7. staff — employees
  8. charge — electricity
  9. mine — for digging
  10. swing — in golf
  11. charge — in control
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. tear — to rip
  15. swing — music
  16. staff — employees
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. tear — from crying
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. swing — to play on

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