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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: charge · row · spring · swing · race · bass · stem · mug

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. spring — of water
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. swing — music
  5. race — the arms race
  6. charge — in control
  7. row — a line
  8. spring — the season
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mug — to rob
  12. row — to paddle
  13. spring — a coil
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mug — a face
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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