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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 · bulb · game · mouse · fan · roll · arm

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. roll — a cake
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. charge — in control
  14. wound — an injury
  15. game — a match
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. charge — electricity
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. charge — a price
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. roll — a list
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mouse — for a computer

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