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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: charge · capital · squash · spring · cell · bear · board · vault

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. squash — to crush
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. charge — a price
  5. squash — the sport
  6. vault — a safe
  7. spring — a coil
  8. capital — a city
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. spring — of water
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bear — the animal
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. charge — in control
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — a phone
  22. spring — the season
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cell — in biology

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