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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: bulb · toast · bowl · cap · content · charge · wind · wax

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cap — a hat
  9. charge — electricity
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cap — of ice
  12. charge — a price
  13. content — the amount
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. wind — moving air
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. content — happy
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. charge — in control
  22. toast — bread
  23. wax — to grow
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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