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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
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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: sharp · staff · rush · net · spring · march · craft · charge

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. sharp — clever
  3. spring — of water
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. staff — employees
  7. march — music
  8. charge — a price
  9. craft — a skill
  10. charge — electricity
  11. net — after costs
  12. spring — a coil
  13. net — for catching
  14. craft — boats
  15. rush — hurry
  16. staff — employees
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. charge — in control
  19. march — the month
  20. net — in sport
  21. staff — a stick
  22. march — the month
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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