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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
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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: cell · land · spring · charge · date · march · hand · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rash — a series
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rash — hasty
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cell — in biology
  11. land — to come down
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. hand — in cards
  14. charge — electricity
  15. land — a country
  16. spring — a coil
  17. charge — in control
  18. cell — a phone
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. land — ground
  22. date — the fruit
  23. march — the month
  24. charge — a price

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