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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: mine · drill · wave · lash · tear · fine · foot · charge

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. drill — a practice
  3. tear — to rip
  4. drill — army training
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. charge — in control
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. tear — from crying
  12. drill — the tool
  13. foot — a measure
  14. mine — for digging
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. tear — from crying
  21. charge — a price
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mine — an explosive

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