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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 116 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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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 · kick · hide · tear · capital · staff · stem · racket

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. staff — employees
  5. tear — to rip
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. staff — employees
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. charge — in control
  11. tear — from crying
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. charge — electricity
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. kick — in football
  16. capital — money
  17. charge — a price
  18. staff — a stick
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. capital — a city
  22. tear — from crying
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. hide — animal skin

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