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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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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: row · sharp · tear · arm · charge · leaves · pitcher · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. charge — a price
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wound — an injury
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — electricity
  15. tear — to rip
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. row — a line
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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