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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: season · temple · spell · charge · mine · leaves · wound · fork

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. spell — letters
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wound — an injury
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. mine — for digging
  11. season — in sport
  12. charge — electricity
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fork — in a road
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. charge — in control
  22. spell — magic
  23. charge — a price
  24. season — of the year

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