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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: current · spell · wind · deal · saw · last · fork · charge

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. last — to go on
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. spell — letters
  10. charge — a price
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. last — final
  13. fork — in a road
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. charge — in control
  17. spell — magic
  18. last — finally
  19. saw — the tool
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. wind — moving air
  23. current — electric
  24. saw — the tool

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