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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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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: content · charge · cold · staff · tear · band · rest · bay

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. band — a ring
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. band — a music group
  13. rest — a break
  14. charge — in control
  15. cold — an illness
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. content — happy
  20. cold — not warm
  21. content — the amount
  22. tear — from crying
  23. staff — employees
  24. rest — what's left

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