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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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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: roll · stick · toast · chair · tear · perch · bulb · charge

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. roll — a list
  3. bulb — for light
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. tear — to rip
  7. chair — a leader
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — a price
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. charge — electricity
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. perch — the fish
  19. tear — from crying
  20. roll — a cake
  21. tear — from crying
  22. toast — bread
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bulb — for light

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