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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: charge · row · squash · pass · file · spring · lean · foot

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. charge — electricity
  3. file — a document
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. file — a tool
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. charge — a price
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. foot — a measure
  14. spring — the season
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. file — a line of people
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. lean — thin
  19. pass — a permit
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. charge — in control
  23. squash — to crush
  24. row — a quarrel

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