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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
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: charge · wind · date · lie · staff · wave · land · mine

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. land — ground
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. charge — in control
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. land — a country
  8. charge — a price
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. land — to come down
  12. charge — electricity
  13. wind — moving air
  14. staff — a stick
  15. date — the fruit
  16. staff — employees
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mine — for digging
  21. staff — employees
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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