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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: last · key · shower · game · stem · charge · capital · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. charge — a price
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. game — wild animals
  7. charge — in control
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stem — to come from
  10. key — in music
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. shower — rain
  13. capital — money
  14. last — final
  15. staff — a stick
  16. key — the most important part
  17. last — to go on
  18. staff — employees
  19. capital — a city
  20. game — a match
  21. charge — electricity
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. key — for a lock
  24. last — finally

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