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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
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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 · lie · coach · wound · rash · cell · squash · current

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. current — electric
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rash — a series
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wound — an injury
  8. current — happening now
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — a price
  12. squash — the sport
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. squash — to crush
  16. current — of water
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cell — in biology
  24. charge — in control

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