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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: lean · kid · ground · spell · charge · pitcher · leaves · bulb

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bulb — for light
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. charge — in control
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. kid — to tease
  15. lean — thin
  16. charge — a price
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. charge — electricity
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. spell — a short time
  21. kid — child
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. pitcher — a jug

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