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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 116 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: wake · charge · bear · fork · content · season · can · kid

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. content — happy
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bear — the animal
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. charge — in control
  8. content — the amount
  9. can — a tin
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. can — a tin
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. kid — child
  16. charge — a price
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bear — the animal
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. season — in sport
  24. charge — electricity

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