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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cap — of ice
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. craft — boats
  7. spell — letters
  8. land — to come down
  9. charge — a price
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cap — a lid
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. spell — magic
  14. cap — a hat
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. land — ground
  18. rule — government
  19. charge — in control
  20. rule — a law
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. stem — to come from
  24. land — a country

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