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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: charge · pop · trunk · ball · tear · plane · staff · club

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pop — music
  5. charge — electricity
  6. club — a group
  7. tear — to rip
  8. staff — employees
  9. pop — soda
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pop — to visit
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. plane — a tool
  14. staff — employees
  15. club — for golf
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. charge — a price
  18. club — for dancing
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. staff — a stick
  22. tear — from crying
  23. charge — in control
  24. plane — an aircraft

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