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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: charge · tear · cell · fork · trunk · wind · spell · bulb

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bulb — for light
  6. tear — to rip
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cell — a phone
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spell — letters
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. charge — a price
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fork — in a road
  20. tear — from crying
  21. charge — in control
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. spell — magic
  24. wind — moving air

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