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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: deal · straw · patient · charge · mate · squash · field · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — electricity
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. field — farmland
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. mate — a partner
  11. field — a subject
  12. spell — a short time
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mate — to breed
  15. deal — to handle
  16. spell — letters
  17. field — for sport
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. squash — the sport
  20. charge — in control
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mate — a friend
  23. squash — to crush
  24. deal — an agreement

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