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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: craft · cell · ground · pop · row · bass · charge · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. bass — low music
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — boats
  7. cell — in biology
  8. charge — electricity
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. spring — of water
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bass — the fish
  18. row — a line
  19. ground — a position
  20. cell — a phone
  21. row — to paddle
  22. ground — crushed
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. spring — a coil

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