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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: charge · spell · sharp · perch · swing · wake · fan · land

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. land — to come down
  3. swing — music
  4. spell — magic
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — to play on
  12. land — ground
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. spell — letters
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. spell — a short time
  20. charge — in control
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. perch — the fish
  24. land — a country

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