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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. drill — army training
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. drill — the tool
  5. spring — the season
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. charge — a price
  10. spring — a coil
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. charge — electricity
  13. spring — of water
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. land — ground
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bulb — for light
  19. land — a country
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. land — to come down
  24. bulb — for light

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