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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 116 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: charge · deal · cell · can · spring · bowl · scale · sharp

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cell — a phone
  3. spring — a coil
  4. charge — in control
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. spring — of water
  9. deal — to handle
  10. sharp — clever
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. charge — a price
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. can — a tin
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. can — a tin
  18. scale — in music
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. spring — the season
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cell — in biology
  24. deal — a big deal

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