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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: wake · fan · lean · clip · hand · date · season · charge

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. season — in sport
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — in control
  6. clip — a video
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. hand — help
  11. season — of the year
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. clip — for paper
  15. date — the fruit
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. clip — to cut
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. fan — a supporter

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