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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cell · rush · wind · ground · mine · coach · charge · cap

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cell — in biology
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mine — for digging
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — in control
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. ground — the earth

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