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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: ground · temple · charge · spring · deal · rash · pitcher · mine

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mine — for digging
  4. spring — of water
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. charge — a price
  7. spring — the season
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. ground — a position
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. ground — the earth
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. deal — an agreement

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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