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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chair · staff · charge · bore · spring · fork · squash · cell

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bore — to tire
  3. cell — in biology
  4. spring — the season
  5. charge — a price
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. cell — a phone
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bore — to drill
  21. charge — in control
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. staff — employees

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