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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: ground · bay · land · charge · face · band · last · jam

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. charge — a price
  5. last — final
  6. ground — a position
  7. face — to confront
  8. charge — in control
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. ground — the earth
  11. face — to point toward
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. land — ground
  14. land — a country
  15. ground — crushed
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. last — finally
  18. band — a music group
  19. charge — electricity
  20. land — to come down
  21. last — to go on
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bay — a horse colour

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