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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. clip — to cut
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. pop — soda
  5. scale — in music
  6. bound — certain
  7. pop — to visit
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pop — music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bound — tied together
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. game — a match
  14. root — of a plant
  15. spring — of water
  16. root — the cause
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bound — obliged
  19. spring — a coil
  20. game — wild animals
  21. spring — the season
  22. clip — a video
  23. root — of a word
  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