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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 120 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: charge · rock · cell · wake · hide · spell · ground · chest

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. ground — a position
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. cell — a phone
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rock — a stone
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. ground — crushed
  14. rock — music
  15. cell — in biology
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. charge — in control
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. ground — the earth
  20. charge — a price
  21. chest — a box
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chest — of your body

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