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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: spring · bay · mate · racket · charge · wind · bore · squash

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. spring — a coil
  3. charge — electricity
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. charge — in control
  17. bore — to drill
  18. spring — the season
  19. bore — to tire
  20. mate — to breed
  21. squash — the sport
  22. charge — a price
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. spring — of water

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