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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 · clip · tear · rush · craft · spring · game · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. game — wild animals
  3. craft — a skill
  4. clip — a video
  5. tear — to rip
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. spring — a coil
  8. tear — from crying
  9. charge — in control
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. game — a match
  14. spring — of water
  15. craft — boats
  16. tear — from crying
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. charge — electricity
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rush — hurry
  23. charge — a price
  24. spring — the season

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