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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: fall · cabinet · rash · mine · drill · wave · field · charge

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. charge — a price
  4. field — a subject
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fall — the season
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. rash — hasty
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. fall — to drop
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. charge — in control
  23. rash — a series
  24. wave — of the sea

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