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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 116 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: spring · tube · squash · cue · bear · lean · charge · march

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bear — the animal
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. charge — electricity
  7. march — the month
  8. charge — a price
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. charge — in control
  11. spring — a coil
  12. tube — a container
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cue — a signal
  15. spring — the season
  16. cue — a hint
  17. march — the month
  18. cue — for pool
  19. squash — the sport
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lean — to bend
  23. march — music
  24. lean — thin

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