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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: game · ground · charge · bulb · can · branch · spring · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. spring — of water
  4. bulb — for light
  5. charge — electricity
  6. can — a tin
  7. ground — the earth
  8. spring — the season
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bulb — for light
  11. can — a tin
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. ground — crushed
  14. game — wild animals
  15. kid — to tease
  16. ground — a position
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. spring — a coil
  20. charge — a price
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. charge — in control
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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