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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: charge · fine · pound · temple · clip · fall · season · tear

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fall — to drop
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. charge — in control
  8. tear — from crying
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. fall — the season
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. fine — all right
  15. tear — to rip
  16. clip — for paper
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. charge — electricity
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. charge — a price
  24. clip — a video

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