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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: field · spell · bulb · wound · charge · cell · trunk · key

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. spell — letters
  3. wound — an injury
  4. charge — a price
  5. cell — in biology
  6. spell — a short time
  7. charge — electricity
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. key — for a lock
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. field — farmland
  12. spell — magic
  13. charge — in control
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. key — the most important part
  17. field — a subject
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. field — for sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. key — in music

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