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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: saw · charge · bulb · mine · capital · chest · stem · board

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stem — to come from
  3. charge — in control
  4. bulb — for light
  5. saw — the tool
  6. charge — a price
  7. chest — a box
  8. bulb — for light
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. chest — of your body
  11. board — a committee
  12. mine — for digging
  13. capital — a city
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. board — to get on
  16. chest — of your body
  17. charge — electricity
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. capital — money
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. saw — the tool

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