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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitcher · spell · bore · pound · bulb · squash · charge · cold

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. charge — electricity
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. spell — letters
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bore — to drill
  15. cold — an illness
  16. charge — a price
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. spell — magic
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. squash — to crush
  23. charge — in control
  24. squash — the sport

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