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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: cabinet · chest · bear · nail · pop · root · charge · ground

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pop — soda
  3. charge — a price
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. charge — in control
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. ground — crushed
  9. root — the cause
  10. pop — music
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ground — a position
  14. chest — of your body
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. root — of a word
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. chest — a box
  21. root — of a plant
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pop — to visit
  24. chest — of your body

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