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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: last · charge · wave · stock · bay · fall · tear · spell

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. last — final
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. charge — a price
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. fall — to drop
  7. last — to go on
  8. spell — a short time
  9. tear — to rip
  10. last — finally
  11. spell — magic
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. charge — in control
  14. stock — shares
  15. charge — electricity
  16. fall — the season
  17. stock — goods
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. spell — letters
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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