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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: bulb · cold · mate · snap · charge · wake · chair · bore

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bore — to tire
  4. snap — to click
  5. bore — to drill
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mate — a partner
  10. charge — in control
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wake — before a funeral

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