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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · date · root · clip · rash · wake · cap · fall

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rash — hasty
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rash — a series
  6. charge — in control
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. charge — a price
  10. clip — a video
  11. date — the fruit
  12. fall — the season
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fall — to drop
  15. root — of a plant
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. clip — for paper
  18. fall — to drop
  19. charge — electricity
  20. root — the cause
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cap — a lid
  23. root — of a word
  24. wake — a trail

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