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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: perch · cap · mine · charge · hide · spring · mug · kid

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cap — a lid
  3. charge — in control
  4. mug — a face
  5. charge — electricity
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. perch — the fish
  9. charge — a price
  10. spring — the season
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mug — to rob
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kid — to tease
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mug — a cup
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. spring — a coil
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spring — of water
  24. hide — animal skin

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