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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: root · wax · fan · stem · kid · spell · court · charge

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. kid — to tease
  3. root — of a plant
  4. spell — letters
  5. stem — to come from
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. charge — a price
  12. spell — a short time
  13. court — of a king
  14. wax — to grow
  15. charge — electricity
  16. kid — child
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. charge — in control
  19. root — the cause
  20. court — for sport
  21. root — of a word
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. court — of law
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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