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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: stem · bulb · wind · deal · snap · ground · roll · charge

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. ground — the earth
  8. snap — to click
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wind — moving air
  11. charge — electricity
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ground — a position
  15. roll — a list
  16. wind — moving air
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. deal — to handle
  19. roll — a cake
  20. charge — a price
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. charge — in control
  24. bulb — for light

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