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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · plane · lash · wound · hide · track · charge · mouse

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. track — a song
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. charge — a price
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wound — an injury
  9. charge — electricity
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cold — not warm
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. track — a path
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. plane — a tool
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. track — to keep track
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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