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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: can · content · spell · cell · charge · coach · mark · bulb

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. charge — electricity
  3. spell — letters
  4. cell — a phone
  5. charge — a price
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. spell — a short time
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. spell — magic
  12. content — happy
  13. mark — a grade
  14. charge — in control
  15. can — a tin
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. mark — a trace
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bulb — for light
  21. can — a tin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. can — to be able to
  24. cell — in a prison

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