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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: can · lean · wound · charge · pop · roll · squash · face

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. charge — electricity
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. can — a tin
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lean — to bend
  8. roll — a cake
  9. can — a tin
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pop — music
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. charge — in control
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. can — to be able to
  19. charge — a price
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — to confront
  22. pop — soda
  23. roll — a list
  24. lean — thin

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