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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 120 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: spring · charge · ruler · face · last · spell · leaves · bat

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — part of the head
  3. charge — electricity
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. spring — the season
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. spell — letters
  10. charge — a price
  11. last — finally
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. face — to confront
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. charge — in control
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. spring — of water
  20. spell — magic
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bat — the animal
  24. spring — a coil

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