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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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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: kick · charge · mine · mate · date · rest · spring · perch

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mate — a partner
  3. perch — the fish
  4. charge — in control
  5. spring — a coil
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rest — a break
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spring — of water
  17. charge — electricity
  18. spring — the season
  19. charge — a price
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mine — belonging to me

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