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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 · lash · mine · last · charge · prune · ball · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. ground — crushed
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ground — a position
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — electricity
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ball — a great time
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mine — for digging
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. last — final
  19. prune — to trim
  20. charge — a price
  21. last — finally
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chest — of your body
  24. last — to go on

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