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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
468
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 · squash · pop · lie · pound · charge · hand · game

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spring — of water
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. charge — electricity
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pop — soda
  8. pound — a weight
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pop — to visit
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. hand — in cards
  15. spring — the season
  16. squash — the sport
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pop — music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. charge — a price
  21. game — a match
  22. squash — to crush
  23. charge — in control
  24. hand — help

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