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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: band · rush · saw · wind · stock · face · arm · charge

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. face — to point toward
  8. charge — a price
  9. band — a music group
  10. stock — goods
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wind — moving air
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wind — moving air
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stock — shares
  22. band — a ring
  23. saw — the tool
  24. charge — in control

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