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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.

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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: tear · cabinet · pitcher · squash · charge · board · object · nail

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. tear — from crying
  3. charge — in control
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. squash — the sport
  9. board — to get on
  10. object — to protest
  11. charge — electricity
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. object — an aim
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. object — a thing
  17. board — a committee
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. squash — to crush
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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