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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: charge · fork · tear · mouse · lean · staff · plane · temple

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. staff — employees
  4. fork — in a road
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lean — to bend
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. staff — employees
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. charge — in control
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. charge — electricity
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. charge — a price
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. plane — a tool

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