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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 · cold · hand · toast · snap · spell · bulb · bark

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. cold — an illness
  6. hand — in cards
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. spell — magic
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bulb — for light
  17. toast — bread
  18. spell — letters
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. spell — a short time
  21. charge — a price
  22. bark — to shout
  23. hand — help
  24. cold — the Cold War

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