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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: board · spring · land · bulb · lie · chest · trunk · charge

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. land — ground
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. charge — in control
  7. bulb — for light
  8. land — to come down
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. charge — a price
  13. chest — of your body
  14. land — a country
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spring — a coil
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. lie — to recline
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — to get on
  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