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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 120 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: wake · mate · charge · cell · wave · deal · bulb · leaves

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. charge — a price
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cell — a phone
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. charge — in control
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bulb — for light
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. mate — to breed
  23. deal — to handle
  24. cell — in biology

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