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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: trunk · bulb · lie · spell · bark · degree · charge · ball

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. charge — in control
  5. spell — magic
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. ball — a dance
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bark — to shout
  10. spell — letters
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. degree — temperature
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. charge — electricity
  15. bulb — for light
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bulb — for light
  18. degree — from a university
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. charge — a price
  24. spell — a short time

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