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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: rest · last · charge · rush · land · bore · hide · mine

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. charge — electricity
  4. land — to come down
  5. rush — hurry
  6. charge — in control
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. last — finally
  14. land — a country
  15. bore — to drill
  16. last — to go on
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rest — a break
  20. land — ground
  21. bore — to tire
  22. charge — a price
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bore — gave birth

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