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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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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. lean — thin
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. spell — letters
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. charge — a price
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. charge — in control
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. charge — electricity
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cold — an illness
  24. spell — a short time

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