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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: file · bear · charge · fan · spell · chest · mine · bowl

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spell — letters
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. spell — magic
  5. charge — a price
  6. file — a line of people
  7. chest — a box
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. charge — in control
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. file — a document
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bear — the animal
  16. charge — electricity
  17. file — a tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mine — for digging
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bowl — a dish

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