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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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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: stem · tube · deal · capital · fall · chest · charge · wound

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. chest — of your body
  3. deal — to handle
  4. stem — to come from
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. charge — a price
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. capital — money
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fall — the season
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wound — an injury
  15. capital — a city
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. charge — in control
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chest — a box
  22. tube — a container
  23. charge — electricity
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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