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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 · press · tear · can · stem · kid · bowl · bat

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bat — the animal
  7. stem — to come from
  8. charge — in control
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. kid — child
  17. can — a tin
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. charge — a price
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. press — to push
  23. tear — to rip
  24. press — newspapers

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