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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: board · mine · bowl · stick · cabinet · tear · wave · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. board — a committee
  10. mine — for digging
  11. charge — in control
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. tear — to rip
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. board — to get on
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. board — a flat piece

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