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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 · last · stem · capital · pound · fork

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fork — in a road
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. capital — money
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. capital — a city
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. charge — in control
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. last — to go on

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