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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: game · spring · tear · charge · bulb · present · jam · lash

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. spring — of water
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spring — the season
  7. charge — in control
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. present — the time now
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. tear — from crying
  12. charge — electricity
  13. tear — to rip
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. game — a match
  16. present — there
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. spring — a coil
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. tear — from crying
  21. charge — a price
  22. present — a gift
  23. bulb — for light
  24. jam — in traffic

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