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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. land — a country
  7. spell — letters
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bear — the animal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. charge — a price
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wind — moving air
  16. charge — electricity
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cell — a phone
  20. land — ground
  21. charge — in control
  22. land — to come down
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cell — in biology

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