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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: charge · wave · field · spell · pop · degree · temple · mate

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pop — music
  6. mate — a partner
  7. spell — letters
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pop — soda
  12. field — farmland
  13. spell — magic
  14. degree — an amount
  15. field — for sport
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. degree — temperature
  18. field — a subject
  19. charge — electricity
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. charge — in control
  23. spell — a short time
  24. degree — from a university

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