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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: squash · tear · leaves · kick · charge · cap · patient · chair

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. squash — to crush
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. charge — a price
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cap — a lid
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. charge — electricity
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cap — of ice
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. kick — in football
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. charge — in control
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. squash — the sport

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