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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · chest · mine · calf · stem · pound · charge · bulb

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. charge — in control
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. spell — letters
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pound — a weight
  14. charge — a price
  15. mine — for digging
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. charge — electricity
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. stem — to come from
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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