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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: bay · mouse · ground · spring · chip · march · charge · prune

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. charge — electricity
  4. spring — a coil
  5. march — the month
  6. charge — a price
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. march — music
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. charge — in control
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. ground — crushed
  21. chip — for betting
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ground — a position

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