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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 116 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: wave · can · staff · charge · tear · vault · lean · root

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. staff — employees
  3. lean — thin
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. tear — from crying
  6. root — the cause
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. charge — a price
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. tear — to rip
  12. can — to be able to
  13. vault — a safe
  14. charge — in control
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. root — of a plant
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. staff — employees
  20. can — a tin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. staff — a stick
  23. can — a tin
  24. root — of a word

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