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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: hand · stick · spell · date · charge · band · cap · saw

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. charge — electricity
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. charge — in control
  11. spell — letters
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. date — the fruit
  14. band — a music group
  15. cap — a hat
  16. hand — help
  17. charge — a price
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. spell — magic
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. band — a ring
  23. cap — a lid
  24. spell — a short time

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