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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 116 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: ground · wound · present · charge · can · bat · bore · band

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. ground — the earth
  4. wound — an injury
  5. band — a music group
  6. present — the time now
  7. can — a tin
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. can — a tin
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bore — to drill
  14. can — to be able to
  15. charge — in control
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bore — to tire
  18. ground — a position
  19. wound — an injury
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. band — a ring
  24. bat — in an idiom

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