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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fall · pop · cell · charge · spring · lash · fork · pitcher

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. fall — to drop
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cell — in biology
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pop — music
  16. spring — the season
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pop — soda
  19. charge — electricity
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pop — to visit
  23. charge — in control
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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