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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: row · land · charge · bowl · kid · spell · fan · wound

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. row — a line
  3. spell — letters
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. kid — child
  6. spell — magic
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. spell — a short time
  10. land — a country
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — a price
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wound — an injury
  17. land — ground
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kid — to tease
  23. land — to come down
  24. charge — in control

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