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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: jam · spring · tear · clip · mug · charge · mate · calf

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. clip — a video
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mate — a friend
  7. charge — in control
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mug — to rob
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. clip — to cut
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spring — the season
  14. mate — a partner
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. spring — a coil
  17. tear — to rip
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. clip — for paper
  22. mug — a cup
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mug — a face

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