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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: safe · bat · bulb · tube · stem · spell · charge · mine

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mine — for digging
  3. charge — a price
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bulb — for light
  8. spell — a short time
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. tube — a container
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. stem — to come from
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bat — the animal

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