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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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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: drill · cold · lash · wake · wave · cell · bank · charge

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cold — an illness
  4. charge — a price
  5. cell — in biology
  6. drill — army training
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bank — of a river
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bank — for money
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bank — for money
  15. wake — a trail
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. drill — a practice
  23. charge — in control
  24. lash — an eyelash

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