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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: charge · degree · kick · wake · spring · lie · land · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spring — of water
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. degree — temperature
  6. land — to come down
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. lie — to recline
  11. charge — in control
  12. spring — the season
  13. land — ground
  14. spring — a coil
  15. degree — an amount
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. land — a country
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. charge — electricity
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. charge — a price
  23. kick — in football
  24. lie — an untruth

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