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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: spring · perch · ground · land · scale · charge · kid · mug

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. charge — in control
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. land — to come down
  6. ground — a position
  7. scale — size or range
  8. land — a country
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. kid — to tease
  12. spring — the season
  13. scale — in music
  14. charge — electricity
  15. spring — a coil
  16. charge — a price
  17. mug — a face
  18. ground — crushed
  19. land — ground
  20. ground — the earth
  21. kid — child
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a cup
  24. perch — for a bird

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