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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · content · rule · land · fan · charge · staff · stem

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. staff — employees
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rule — a law
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rule — government
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. charge — a price
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. land — ground
  22. charge — in control
  23. stem — to come from
  24. charge — electricity

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