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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: club · dip · stem · toast · charge · mug · cold · scale

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. charge — electricity
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stem — to come from
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. scale — size or range
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. charge — in control
  9. toast — bread
  10. cold — not warm
  11. mug — to rob
  12. charge — a price
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. dip — to sink
  17. club — for dancing
  18. mug — a face
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. cold — an illness
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. club — for golf
  23. mug — a cup
  24. stem — of a plant

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