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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: ground · mine · bulb · arm · charge · content · nail · can

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. can — to be able to
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. content — the amount
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. charge — a price
  11. ground — a position
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. charge — in control
  16. content — happy
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ground — the earth
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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