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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: content · charge · band · toast · spring · race · saw · fall

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. band — a ring
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — a contest
  8. content — happy
  9. race — the arms race
  10. charge — in control
  11. fall — the season
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. toast — bread
  16. fall — to drop
  17. saw — the tool
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. band — a music group
  21. fall — to drop
  22. content — the amount
  23. spring — the season
  24. toast — the most admired

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