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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: band · snap · pop · mine · firm · charge · row · lie

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. charge — electricity
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pop — to visit
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pop — soda
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. snap — to click
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. firm — steady
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. band — a ring
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pop — music
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. charge — a price
  19. band — a music group
  20. firm — a company
  21. charge — in control
  22. firm — decided
  23. lie — to recline
  24. row — a line

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