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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: hand · tear · bay · club · leaves · charge · ball · spring

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. tear — to rip
  3. charge — a price
  4. hand — help
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. spring — the season
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. hand — in cards
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ball — a great time
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — a group
  21. spring — of water
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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