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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: spring · capital · deal · rock · squash · spell · charge · leaves

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. squash — to crush
  3. capital — a city
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. spring — a coil
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. charge — in control
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. spring — the season
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rock — a stone
  12. squash — the sport
  13. spell — magic
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. spell — letters
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. capital — money
  20. charge — a price
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. spell — a short time
  23. charge — electricity
  24. rock — music

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