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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: mate · wake · wind · nail · charge · chip · spell · drill

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. drill — army training
  3. chip — to eat
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mate — a partner
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wind — moving air
  13. charge — a price
  14. wake — a trail
  15. spell — magic
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mate — a friend
  19. charge — in control
  20. chip — for betting
  21. spell — letters
  22. wind — moving air
  23. charge — electricity
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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