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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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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: mine · plane · cell · rash · rest · charge · net · bear

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. rash — hasty
  3. net — after costs
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. rest — a break
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. net — in sport
  9. rest — what's left
  10. charge — in control
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. net — for catching
  19. rash — a series
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rest — what's left
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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