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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · file · squash · ball · bear · prune · tear · bore

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bear — the animal
  4. charge — in control
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. file — a document
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. ball — a great time
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. tear — from crying
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bore — to tire
  14. tear — to rip
  15. prune — to trim
  16. squash — to crush
  17. charge — a price
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bore — to drill
  23. file — a tool
  24. ball — a dance

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