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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: wound · season · pop · mine · mouse · charge · spell · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. charge — in control
  3. pop — to visit
  4. season — in sport
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pop — music
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wound — an injury
  11. charge — electricity
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. charge — a price
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spell — letters
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. spell — magic
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pop — soda
  24. mouse — for a computer

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