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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: roll · spell · charge · bear · stock · leaves · date · fall

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. stock — shares
  3. charge — in control
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spell — letters
  9. charge — a price
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fall — to drop
  13. charge — electricity
  14. roll — a list
  15. bear — the animal
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. date — the fruit
  18. fall — the season
  19. stock — goods
  20. fall — to drop
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bear — the animal
  23. spell — magic
  24. leaves — of a tree

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