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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: tear · snap · nail · arm · key · land · charge · spell

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. charge — in control
  3. tear — to rip
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. land — a country
  6. charge — electricity
  7. key — for a lock
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. spell — magic
  11. land — to come down
  12. key — in music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. snap — to click
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. key — the most important part
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. charge — a price
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. land — ground

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