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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: charge · field · bulb · date · hand · pitcher · staff · wave

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bulb — for light
  3. date — the fruit
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. charge — in control
  6. staff — employees
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. field — for sport
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. field — a subject
  21. charge — a price
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. charge — electricity
  24. field — farmland

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