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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
468
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 · track · wind · vault · charge · wax · perch · spring

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. charge — electricity
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. spring — of water
  8. wax — to grow
  9. track — a path
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. spring — a coil
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bulb — for light
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wind — moving air
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. charge — in control
  23. spring — the season
  24. charge — a price

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