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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: charge · toast · plane · mouse · capital · wound · chip · lean

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. charge — a price
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. toast — bread
  13. chip — to eat
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — a tool
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. capital — money
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. lean — thin
  22. capital — a city
  23. lean — to bend
  24. charge — in control

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