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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.

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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 · hand · spring · race · bulb · scale · drill

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bulb — for light
  3. charge — in control
  4. drill — the tool
  5. race — a contest
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — army training
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spring — of water
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. race — the arms race
  13. charge — electricity
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. charge — a price
  16. spring — the season
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. scale — in music
  19. spring — a coil
  20. deal — to handle
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. scale — size or range

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