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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
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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: wind · clip · date · charge · vault · spell · calf · scale

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. spell — magic
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. charge — a price
  5. spell — letters
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. clip — a video
  11. scale — in music
  12. date — the fruit
  13. charge — in control
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wind — moving air
  17. scale — size or range
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. spell — a short time
  23. clip — for paper
  24. vault — a safe

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