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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: charge · net · race · mine · saw · drill · lean · mouse

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. drill — army training
  3. saw — the tool
  4. charge — electricity
  5. net — after costs
  6. charge — a price
  7. lean — to bend
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. charge — in control
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. drill — a practice
  12. race — a contest
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. race — the arms race
  17. net — for catching
  18. mine — for digging
  19. race — humankind
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. drill — the tool
  23. net — in sport
  24. lean — thin

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