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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 120 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: mate · cell · charge · spring · bulb · squash · rush · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mate — a friend
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. squash — to crush
  9. charge — a price
  10. mate — a partner
  11. rush — hurry
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. charge — in control
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. charge — electricity
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cell — in biology

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