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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: current · chair · tear · chest · hide · kick · charge · root

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. chest — of your body
  3. current — happening now
  4. charge — a price
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. tear — from crying
  7. charge — in control
  8. root — of a word
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. kick — in football
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. tear — to rip
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. charge — electricity
  15. root — of a plant
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. root — the cause
  19. current — electric
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. current — of water
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chair — a leader

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