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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: bulb · bat · snap · date · charge · branch · cell · foot

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. charge — electricity
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. cell — a phone
  6. charge — a price
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. charge — in control
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. foot — a measure
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bulb — for light
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bat — the animal
  24. snap — to click

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