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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.

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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: cell · bulb · wound · clip · charge · foot · mark · wax

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. charge — in control
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mark — a grade
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. charge — electricity
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. wound — an injury
  24. charge — a price

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