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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 · hand · file · roll · rest · wound · charge · rock

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rest — a break
  5. charge — in control
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. charge — electricity
  9. roll — a cake
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rock — a stone
  13. charge — a price
  14. roll — a list
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. wound — an injury
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. file — a tool
  22. spring — of water
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rock — music

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