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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 · fall · mark · wave · squash · object · track · ground

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. fall — the season
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. object — an aim
  6. fall — to drop
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — a price
  9. object — a thing
  10. ground — the earth
  11. fall — to drop
  12. object — to protest
  13. track — a song
  14. squash — to crush
  15. track — to keep track
  16. charge — in control
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. ground — a position
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. track — a path
  24. mark — a trace

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