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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: pitcher · wax · roll · chest · charge · foot · bulb · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. chest — of your body
  6. charge — in control
  7. spring — the season
  8. wax — to grow
  9. spring — a coil
  10. charge — electricity
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. chest — of your body
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. roll — a list
  16. charge — a price
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chest — a box
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pitcher — a jug

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