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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: board · net · ground · key · rash · charge · lash · spring

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rash — a series
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. charge — a price
  5. board — a committee
  6. key — in music
  7. ground — a position
  8. key — for a lock
  9. charge — in control
  10. ground — the earth
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. rash — hasty
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. charge — electricity
  16. spring — of water
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. key — the most important part
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. board — to get on
  24. ground — crushed

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