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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: bowl · can · nail · spell · charge · wake · land · fall

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. land — to come down
  5. spell — letters
  6. can — to be able to
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fall — the season
  12. can — a tin
  13. land — a country
  14. charge — a price
  15. spell — a short time
  16. land — ground
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wake — a trail
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. spell — magic
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fall — to drop
  23. can — a tin
  24. bowl — a football final

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