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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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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: lean · pitcher · cabinet · bulb · charge · season · spring · field

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bulb — for light
  3. season — of the year
  4. field — a subject
  5. lean — to bend
  6. charge — a price
  7. spring — the season
  8. field — farmland
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. spring — of water
  12. lean — thin
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. field — for sport
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — in control
  24. season — in sport

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