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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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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: fall · nail · chair · wind · key · rest · spring · charge

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wind — moving air
  4. spring — the season
  5. charge — electricity
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. charge — in control
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. spring — of water
  10. fall — the season
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. key — in music
  13. rest — what's left
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fall — to drop
  17. key — the most important part
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fall — to drop
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. charge — a price
  24. key — for a lock

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