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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · spell · kid · object · bulb · cold · calf · charge

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bulb — for light
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cold — not warm
  5. object — an aim
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. charge — electricity
  8. kid — to tease
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. spell — a short time
  11. land — a country
  12. spell — letters
  13. bulb — for light
  14. charge — a price
  15. kid — child
  16. spell — magic
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. land — ground
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. object — a thing
  21. cold — an illness
  22. charge — in control
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. land — to come down

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