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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: can · lie · charge · fall · bat · spell · wound · staff

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. spell — letters
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. staff — employees
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. charge — electricity
  12. fall — the season
  13. can — a tin
  14. staff — a stick
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. spell — a short time
  18. charge — a price
  19. lie — to recline
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. fall — to drop
  23. spell — magic
  24. staff — employees

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