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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: chest · game · band · stick · craft · charge · tear · rush

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. charge — in control
  3. game — wild animals
  4. band — a music group
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. chest — of your body
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rush — hurry
  13. chest — of your body
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. game — a match
  19. craft — boats
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. charge — a price
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. craft — a skill
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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