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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: chip · mine · ground · degree · spell · spring · charge · rush

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. charge — electricity
  3. degree — temperature
  4. chip — for betting
  5. charge — a price
  6. ground — crushed
  7. charge — in control
  8. ground — the earth
  9. spring — of water
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. spring — the season
  16. mine — for digging
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ground — a position
  19. spell — letters
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — an amount
  22. chip — to eat
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. spell — magic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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