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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 · net · squash · lie · hand · plane · land · rash

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. net — for catching
  3. land — a country
  4. plane — a tool
  5. net — in sport
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — a price
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. charge — electricity
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. rash — a series
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. squash — to crush
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. net — after costs
  20. land — to come down
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rash — hasty
  23. hand — help
  24. squash — the vegetable

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