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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · mine · can · pitcher · date · drill · charge · fork

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wind — moving air
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. drill — army training
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. drill — the tool
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. can — a tin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fork — in a road
  15. charge — in control
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mine — for digging
  19. charge — electricity
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. can — a tin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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