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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: key · tear · bark · bay · pop · spell · arm · charge

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. charge — electricity
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. spell — letters
  6. charge — a price
  7. pop — to visit
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bark — to shout
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. key — in music
  14. pop — soda
  15. charge — in control
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. spell — magic
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pop — music

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