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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 116 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: cell · wake · pitcher · spell · charge · squash · stock · cold

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. cell — a phone
  3. spell — letters
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stock — shares
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cold — not warm
  13. spell — magic
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. charge — in control
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cold — an illness
  21. stock — goods
  22. charge — a price
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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