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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. drill — army training
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. stem — to come from
  6. drill — a practice
  7. spring — of water
  8. drill — the tool
  9. spring — the season
  10. charge — in control
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. face — to point toward
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. face — to confront
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. charge — a price
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the 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