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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: bowl · lash · mine · ground · rash · face · charge · land

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. land — a country
  3. face — part of the head
  4. rash — a series
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rash — hasty
  9. land — to come down
  10. charge — electricity
  11. land — ground
  12. ground — the earth
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. charge — in control
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. charge — a price
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. ground — a position
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. ground — crushed

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