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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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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fork — in a road
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fine — all right
  6. charge — electricity
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spring — the season
  11. spell — letters
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. charge — in control
  14. bark — to shout
  15. rash — a series
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spring — of water
  23. charge — a price
  24. fine — high quality

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