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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. charge — electricity
  3. drill — a practice
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spring — the season
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. rash — hasty
  9. lean — to bend
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rash — a series
  12. land — a country
  13. drill — army training
  14. land — to come down
  15. lean — thin
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. spring — of water
  18. charge — in control
  19. board — a committee
  20. charge — a price
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. board — to get on
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. spring — a coil

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