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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 120 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: rash · chair · wave · content · drill · spell · land · charge

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. drill — army training
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. land — a country
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. land — ground
  13. drill — the tool
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. chair — a leader
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. spell — a short time
  21. drill — a practice
  22. charge — a price
  23. rash — a series
  24. land — to come down

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