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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: hide · spring · bear · safe · cell · charge · mine · deal

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. charge — electricity
  4. cell — a phone
  5. charge — in control
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cell — in biology
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. charge — a price
  14. spring — the season
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mine — for digging
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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