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

Word bank: charge · hide · suit · tear · fall · cell · snap · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. suit — to fit
  3. spell — a short time
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fall — to drop
  10. charge — electricity
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fall — the season
  15. snap — to click
  16. charge — in control
  17. suit — in cards
  18. tear — to rip
  19. charge — a price
  20. spell — magic
  21. fall — to drop
  22. tear — from crying
  23. suit — clothes
  24. cell — in a prison

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