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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: track · jam · spring · club · clip · charge · wind · can

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. charge — a price
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. club — a group
  6. charge — in control
  7. club — for golf
  8. wind — moving air
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. can — a tin
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wind — moving air
  15. can — a tin
  16. track — to keep track
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. spring — the season
  20. club — for dancing
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. track — a path
  23. can — to be able to
  24. track — a song

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