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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 116 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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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: firm · mug · saw · charge · fall · stick · tear · present

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fall — the season
  4. present — the time now
  5. saw — the tool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. fall — to drop
  12. firm — a company
  13. present — a gift
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. charge — electricity
  17. tear — from crying
  18. charge — in control
  19. firm — decided
  20. mug — to rob
  21. present — there
  22. firm — steady
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — a face

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