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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: charge · temple · bulb · root · hand · last · wound · mate

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. hand — help
  7. root — of a word
  8. bulb — for light
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. root — the cause
  15. last — final
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. charge — a price
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. root — of a plant
  22. mate — to breed
  23. charge — in control
  24. bulb — for light

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