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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: wave · charge · bore · land · rash · last · rest · snap

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rest — what's left
  7. land — ground
  8. snap — to click
  9. rest — what's left
  10. last — finally
  11. rash — hasty
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bore — to drill
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. land — to come down
  20. rest — a break
  21. land — a country
  22. bore — to tire
  23. rash — a series
  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