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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 · current · clip · bear · scale · bore · charge · ground

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. scale — size or range
  4. current — of water
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bear — the animal
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — in control
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bore — to drill
  13. current — electric
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. ground — a position
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. bore — to tire
  19. scale — in music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. current — happening now
  23. cell — in biology
  24. scale — for weighing

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