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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: charge · spell · degree · lie · leaves · row · chest · bear

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. chest — of your body
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. charge — electricity
  7. degree — from a university
  8. spell — letters
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. spell — a short time
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. charge — a price
  15. chest — a box
  16. degree — an amount
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spell — magic
  21. charge — in control
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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