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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: net · pop · cell · file · charge · spell · spring · wave

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. cell — a phone
  3. spring — a coil
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. pop — soda
  7. charge — a price
  8. cell — in biology
  9. spell — magic
  10. charge — in control
  11. spring — of water
  12. net — after costs
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. file — a tool
  15. pop — to visit
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. charge — electricity
  19. net — in sport
  20. pop — music
  21. file — a document
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. net — for catching

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