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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 · present · band · hand · wound · date · mug · rash

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wound — an injury
  6. charge — a price
  7. mug — to rob
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mug — a face
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mug — a cup
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. present — a gift
  15. band — a ring
  16. present — there
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rash — a series
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. present — the time now
  21. hand — in cards
  22. charge — in control
  23. hand — help
  24. date — on the calendar

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