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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.

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: cell · stock · clip · mine · fork · can · cap · charge

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stock — shares
  4. cap — a hat
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. charge — in control
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. charge — electricity
  12. can — a tin
  13. stock — goods
  14. clip — a video
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. charge — a price
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. cell — a phone
  21. clip — for paper
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fork — in a road

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