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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: wound · charge · chair · bulb · last · cell · lean · suit

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. suit — in cards
  3. last — final
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. suit — to fit
  7. charge — in control
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bulb — for light
  10. last — finally
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. charge — a price
  18. last — to go on
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lean — to bend
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cell — in a prison

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