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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: charge · hand · land · plane · sharp · staff · lash · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. charge — a price
  4. hand — in cards
  5. sharp — clever
  6. charge — electricity
  7. staff — employees
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. staff — a stick
  12. charge — in control
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. land — ground
  16. hand — help
  17. fine — all right
  18. land — a country
  19. staff — employees
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. plane — a tool
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. land — to come down

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