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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: stand · bear · tear · charge · clip · fine · last · shower

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bear — the animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. tear — from crying
  6. charge — in control
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fine — all right
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. shower — rain
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. stand — to bear
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. last — final
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — a price
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bear — the animal
  20. shower — to wash
  21. fine — high quality
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. fine — a penalty

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