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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: lie · wind · straw · wave · charge · roll · nail · mate

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. roll — a list
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. mate — a partner
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. charge — electricity
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. charge — in control
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. roll — a cake
  22. mate — a friend
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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