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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: bulb · tear · charge · ball · land · pitcher · bear · leaves

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bulb — for light
  3. land — a country
  4. charge — electricity
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. ball — a dance
  11. land — to come down
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bear — the animal
  14. charge — in control
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. charge — a price
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. land — ground

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