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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 120 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: wax · cell · ruler · straw · bulb · charge · spell · face

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. spell — magic
  3. cell — a phone
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bulb — for light
  8. face — to confront
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cell — in biology
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. charge — a price
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wax — to grow
  19. spell — letters
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bulb — for light
  24. spell — a short time

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