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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spring · charge · stick · land · nail · snap · bass · march

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. spring — the season
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. spring — a coil
  5. march — music
  6. spring — of water
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. march — the month
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bass — low music
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. land — ground
  18. charge — in control
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bass — the fish
  21. snap — to click
  22. charge — a price
  23. march — the month
  24. nail — for a hammer

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