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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: perch · bore · spell · stick · cap · club · charge · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. spell — letters
  4. charge — electricity
  5. club — a group
  6. cap — a lid
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bore — to drill
  9. charge — a price
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cap — a hat
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. charge — in control
  20. spell — magic
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. club — for golf
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cap — of ice

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