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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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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: stick · spring · perch · charge · mate · wave · land · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mate — to breed
  3. charge — a price
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mate — a partner
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. land — ground
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. perch — the fish
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spring — a coil
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. charge — in control
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fall — the season
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. land — a country
  21. charge — electricity
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. land — to come down
  24. fall — to drop

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