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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: land · charge · row · cabinet · kick · saw · wind · kid

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. wind — moving air
  4. kid — child
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. kick — in football
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — in control
  11. row — a line
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. row — to paddle
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. land — a country
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. charge — electricity
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. saw — the tool

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