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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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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: last · charge · kid · wave · wind · present · rest · bulb

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wind — moving air
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. last — to go on
  6. charge — in control
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. charge — electricity
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. kid — child
  13. wind — moving air
  14. present — the time now
  15. charge — a price
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. rest — a break
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. last — final
  22. bulb — for light
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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