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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 · bass · fine · bat · chip · cell · patient · spring

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bass — low music
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. charge — in control
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. spring — a coil
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bass — the fish
  9. charge — electricity
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. charge — a price
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. chip — to eat
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fine — all right
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cell — in a prison

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