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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.

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: kid · fall · charge · staff · tear · pitcher · rush · rash

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rush — hurry
  4. tear — to rip
  5. kid — to tease
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. staff — employees
  9. charge — in control
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. charge — electricity
  12. tear — from crying
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fall — the season
  17. charge — a price
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rash — a series
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rush — to hurry

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