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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: season · charge · bulb · bound · band · field · tear · rest

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rest — a break
  3. charge — in control
  4. field — a subject
  5. rest — what's left
  6. field — farmland
  7. bulb — for light
  8. band — a music group
  9. season — of the year
  10. band — a ring
  11. season — in sport
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. tear — from crying
  16. charge — electricity
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rest — what's left
  19. field — for sport
  20. tear — from crying
  21. charge — a price
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bound — obliged

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