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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: drill · object · mine · charge · bank · mate · last · wound

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. object — to protest
  7. mine — for digging
  8. object — a thing
  9. last — to go on
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bank — of a river
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bank — for money
  15. charge — in control
  16. last — final
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. object — an aim
  21. mate — to breed
  22. charge — a price
  23. last — finally
  24. bank — for money

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