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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: bear · object · lean · chair · charge · safe · kid · tear

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. bear — the animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. kid — to tease
  6. lean — to bend
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. lean — thin
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. charge — electricity
  12. tear — from crying
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — in control
  15. object — to protest
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. object — an aim
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. bear — the animal
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. object — a thing
  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