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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: land · present · arm · mate · club · wave · charge · wound

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. land — ground
  3. mate — a friend
  4. land — to come down
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mate — to breed
  7. club — for golf
  8. wound — an injury
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. club — a group
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. charge — electricity
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. present — there
  19. land — a country
  20. charge — in control
  21. wound — an injury
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. wave — with your hand

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