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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
468
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: pitcher · mate · rule · staff · plane · charge · tear · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. staff — employees
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mate — a partner
  6. fall — the season
  7. charge — electricity
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. tear — from crying
  10. staff — employees
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. charge — in control
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rule — a law
  16. mate — a friend
  17. plane — a tool
  18. mate — to breed
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. tear — to rip
  21. staff — a stick
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. charge — a price

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