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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: nail · spring · net · charge · march · kick · swing · fan

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. kick — in football
  4. spring — the season
  5. net — in sport
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. spring — a coil
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. charge — electricity
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. charge — in control
  12. net — after costs
  13. march — the month
  14. net — for catching
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. march — music
  17. swing — music
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. spring — of water
  22. march — the month
  23. fan — a supporter
  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