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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 · tube · foot · tear · arm · bass · stick · kick

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. tube — a container
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tube — the underground
  5. foot — a measure
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. charge — a price
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. tear — from crying
  16. kick — in football
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bass — the fish
  21. charge — electricity
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bass — low music
  24. arm — a part of something

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