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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 116 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 · pop · bank · lean · drill · nail · squash · chair

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pop — to visit
  3. chair — a leader
  4. charge — electricity
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. charge — in control
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bank — for money
  10. pop — soda
  11. squash — the sport
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bank — for money
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pop — music
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bank — of a river
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. charge — a price
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. drill — army training

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