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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: mine · arm · bear · charge · cell · leaves · wake · tear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wake — a trail
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. charge — in control
  9. cell — in biology
  10. charge — a price
  11. mine — for digging
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bear — the animal
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cell — a phone
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bear — the animal
  24. charge — electricity

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