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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: chest · land · toast · pitcher · charge · mouse · ground · bank

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. land — a country
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bank — for money
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. land — ground
  8. charge — in control
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. land — to come down
  12. bank — of a river
  13. chest — of your body
  14. charge — electricity
  15. ground — a position
  16. bank — for money
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. toast — bread
  23. charge — a price
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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