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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 · mouse · kid · arm · stem · bank · capital · court

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. charge — a price
  3. court — of law
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. capital — a city
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. kid — child
  9. charge — in control
  10. court — for sport
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. capital — money
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. charge — electricity
  23. court — of a king
  24. kid — to tease

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