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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 · date · straw · spring · safe · scale · arm · spell

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. scale — in music
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. spring — the season
  6. charge — in control
  7. spell — letters
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. charge — electricity
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spring — a coil
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. spell — magic
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. spring — of water
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. charge — a price
  24. scale — size or range

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