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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: charge · season · bulb · mouse · hand · chest · rash · spring

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. spring — of water
  3. charge — electricity
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. rash — hasty
  7. chest — a box
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. charge — a price
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. spring — a coil
  12. chest — of your body
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. spring — the season
  15. season — in sport
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. charge — in control
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rash — a series

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