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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 120 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: calf · bass · perch · firm · charge · kid · spring · pop

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. firm — steady
  3. charge — electricity
  4. firm — decided
  5. spring — a coil
  6. charge — a price
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. firm — a company
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pop — music
  15. charge — in control
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pop — soda
  18. spring — of water
  19. pop — to visit
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bass — low music

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