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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: charge · coach · cold · chip · hand · bank · arm · spring

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — in control
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. spring — of water
  8. charge — a price
  9. hand — help
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spring — the season
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bank — of a river
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bank — for money
  18. spring — a coil
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cold — not warm
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bank — for money
  23. cold — an illness
  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