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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: nail · band · fan · charge · mug · stick · chest · mouse

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mug — a face
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. charge — a price
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mug — to rob
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. charge — in control
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. chest — a box
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chest — of your body

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