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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: charge · jam · rest · tear · mine · leaves · fall · wax

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rest — what's left
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rest — what's left
  10. charge — a price
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. charge — electricity
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. tear — from crying
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. rest — a break
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. fall — the season
  22. wax — to grow
  23. tear — to rip
  24. charge — in control

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