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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: rush · land · charge · kid · pass · leaves · tear · snap

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  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. charge — in control
  2. land — ground
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. charge — a price
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rush — hurry
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pass — a permit
  16. land — to come down
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. kid — child
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. charge — electricity
  23. tear — to rip
  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