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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 116 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: clip · bear · capital · chair · rest · charge · stem · pass

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pass — a permit
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. capital — money
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stem — to come from
  19. charge — electricity
  20. capital — a city
  21. bear — the animal
  22. charge — in control
  23. rest — a break
  24. pass — to spend time

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