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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: wind · charge · cold · vault · lash · stick

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cold — an illness
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. charge — in control
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. charge — electricity
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cold — not warm
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. vault — a safe
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air

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