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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: stem · squash · rash · charge · vault · spell · cold · content

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. charge — a price
  3. vault — a safe
  4. spell — letters
  5. rash — a series
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. content — happy
  8. rash — hasty
  9. charge — in control
  10. stem — to come from
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. content — the amount
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. squash — the sport
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. charge — electricity

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