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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 · land · rock · mouse · hand · saw · tear · bulb

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. land — to come down
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bulb — for light
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rock — music
  13. charge — in control
  14. tear — from crying
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hand — help
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. tear — from crying
  22. land — ground
  23. rock — a stone
  24. land — a country

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