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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: hand · spring · fall · pound · cabinet · charge · staff · calf

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. charge — in control
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. charge — a price
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hand — in cards
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fall — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. spring — a coil
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pound — a weight
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pound — for dogs

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