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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 120 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: mine · lie · ground · straw · deal · craft · charge · fan

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. craft — a skill
  5. charge — a price
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. charge — in control
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. craft — boats
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. charge — electricity
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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