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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: land · drill · lash · march · charge · mouse · wake · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wake — a trail
  5. charge — in control
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. charge — electricity
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. march — the month
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. drill — the tool
  13. march — the month
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. land — a country
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. drill — army training
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. charge — a price
  23. march — music
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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