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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cue — a hint
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. kid — child
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. charge — in control
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cue — a signal
  14. can — a tin
  15. spell — letters
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. charge — a price
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kid — to tease
  21. can — a tin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bear — the animal
  24. spell — magic

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