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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: chest · stem · drill · fan · pitch · key · charge · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. stem — to come from
  3. drill — army training
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. key — for a lock
  6. charge — a price
  7. drill — a practice
  8. key — in music
  9. spring — a coil
  10. charge — electricity
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. key — the most important part
  17. pitch — completely
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. charge — in control
  22. chest — of your body
  23. spring — of water
  24. fan — a supporter

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