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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 120 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 · root · spring · suit · rest · clip · pitch · nail

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. suit — in cards
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. charge — in control
  8. spring — a coil
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. suit — to fit
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. rest — a break
  15. charge — electricity
  16. root — of a word
  17. rest — what's left
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. suit — clothes
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. root — the cause
  22. clip — for paper
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. root — of a plant

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