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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: bore · rash · wound · spring · charge · mug · wind · fan

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rash — a series
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. spring — the season
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. charge — in control
  20. rash — hasty
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. spring — of water
  24. rash — on the skin

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