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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 116 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: wound · spring · mouse · charge · ruler · fan · wave · net

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wound — an injury
  3. charge — a price
  4. net — after costs
  5. spring — the season
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wound — an injury
  11. net — for catching
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. net — in sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spring — of water
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. charge — electricity
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. charge — in control

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