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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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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bulb — for light
  3. charge — a price
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. spell — magic
  7. branch — a division
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. rest — what's left
  12. charge — in control
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. root — the cause
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. court — of law
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rest — what's left
  24. charge — electricity

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