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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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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: kick · lash · craft · bank · game · cold · fall · charge

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. fall — the season
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bank — for money
  7. charge — in control
  8. bank — of a river
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. charge — a price
  13. game — a match
  14. cold — an illness
  15. kick — in football
  16. craft — a skill
  17. charge — electricity
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bank — for money
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. craft — boats

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