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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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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. chip — to eat
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. tube — the underground
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chip — for betting
  15. perch — the fish
  16. stem — to come from
  17. degree — from a university
  18. tube — a container
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. charge — a price
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. charge — in control

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