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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: staff · charge · kid · ruler · capital · bound · bulb · stock

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. staff — a stick
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bound — tied together
  11. staff — employees
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stock — goods
  15. bound — certain
  16. bulb — for light
  17. charge — a price
  18. stock — shares
  19. charge — in control
  20. staff — employees
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bulb — for light

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