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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: wound · pop · lean · charge · nail · drill · toast · rash

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. charge — a price
  5. pop — to visit
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — in control
  8. pop — music
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. rash — hasty
  12. lean — thin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. toast — bread
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pop — soda
  17. drill — the tool
  18. rash — a series
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. drill — army training

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