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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: stand · charge · kick · march · field · calf · lash · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. field — for sport
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. march — music
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. tear — from crying
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. tear — from crying
  14. charge — in control
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. kick — in football
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. march — the month
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. march — the month
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. stand — for spectators

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