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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: squash · charge · spring · wind · cell · drill · stick · coach

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. charge — a price
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. charge — in control
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. spring — the season
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. spring — of water
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. drill — a practice
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wind — moving air
  22. drill — army training
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. charge — electricity

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