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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: charge · tear · cell · safe · scale · snap · bank · dip

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. snap — to click
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cell — in biology
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. tear — from crying
  8. charge — in control
  9. tear — from crying
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. scale — in music
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bank — for money
  16. scale — size or range
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. tear — to rip
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bank — for money

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