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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — in control
  3. staff — employees
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. staff — employees
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. fall — to drop
  13. kid — child
  14. season — in sport
  15. kid — to tease
  16. staff — a stick
  17. charge — a price
  18. fall — the season
  19. season — of the year
  20. spell — letters
  21. wind — moving air
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wind — moving air

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