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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. season — of the year
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. tear — to rip
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. season — in sport
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. mine — for digging
  13. band — a ring
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chip — to eat
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. drill — the tool
  20. chip — for betting
  21. charge — a price
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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