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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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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: present · cue · tear · lean · charge · pitcher · row · chest

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cue — a signal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chest — of your body
  7. charge — in control
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. charge — electricity
  10. lean — thin
  11. tear — to rip
  12. present — the time now
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. present — a gift
  15. charge — a price
  16. row — a line
  17. chest — of your body
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cue — a hint
  20. chest — a box
  21. cue — for pool
  22. row — to paddle
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pitcher — a jug

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