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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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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: can · face · charge · pound · tube · wake · tear · toast

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — a weight
  3. toast — bread
  4. face — part of the head
  5. can — a tin
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. charge — electricity
  8. tear — from crying
  9. can — a tin
  10. tear — to rip
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. can — to be able to
  15. tube — a container
  16. wake — a trail
  17. charge — a price
  18. tear — from crying
  19. face — to confront
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. charge — in control

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