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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: spring · tube · lean · wound · chair · craft · bowl · charge

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tube — the underground
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spring — the season
  6. charge — in control
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. craft — boats
  10. charge — a price
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. tube — a container
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. chair — a leader
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. craft — a skill
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to bend

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