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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 120 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: stem · bowl · charge · wave · saw · mine · wake · chest

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. saw — the tool
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mine — for digging
  9. chest — a box
  10. wake — a trail
  11. charge — in control
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. chest — of your body

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