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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: pass · kid · bass · spring · mug · chip · wax · charge

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mug — a cup
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. kid — child
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bass — low music
  9. pass — a permit
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — in control
  12. chip — to eat
  13. spring — the season
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. kid — to tease
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mug — to rob
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. spring — of water
  24. pass — to spend time

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