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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: tear · lash · snap · firm · coach · can · staff · charge

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. firm — steady
  3. charge — a price
  4. staff — a stick
  5. can — to be able to
  6. snap — to click
  7. tear — from crying
  8. staff — employees
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — electricity
  13. staff — employees
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. firm — a company
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. firm — decided
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. can — a tin
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. tear — to rip

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