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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 · wave · rush · spring · toast · row · cold · pop

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pop — to visit
  3. spring — of water
  4. row — a line
  5. pop — soda
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. row — to paddle
  9. cold — an illness
  10. charge — a price
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. spring — a coil
  17. toast — bread
  18. charge — electricity
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pop — music
  21. rush — hurry
  22. charge — in control
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. rush — to hurry

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