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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: safe · spell · fork · charge · can · wound · date · degree

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. charge — a price
  4. wound — an injury
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. charge — in control
  7. can — to be able to
  8. spell — letters
  9. degree — from a university
  10. can — a tin
  11. spell — magic
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. spell — a short time
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wound — an injury
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. degree — an amount
  23. can — a tin
  24. fork — to eat with

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