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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: mine · kick · spell · charge · wake · ball · degree · wave

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. spell — magic
  9. wake — a trail
  10. ball — a dance
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. charge — electricity
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. charge — in control
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. charge — a price
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — of the sea

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