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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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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: tear · dip · wound · stick · wind · charge · march · spell

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. march — music
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. tear — to rip
  7. charge — in control
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spell — letters
  12. wind — moving air
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. charge — a price
  15. march — the month
  16. spell — magic
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. march — the month
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wound — an injury
  24. dip — a sauce

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