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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: tube · cold · capital · charge · mark · board · stem · bear

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bear — the animal
  4. charge — electricity
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. charge — in control
  7. capital — money
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. mark — a grade
  10. board — a committee
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. board — to get on
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mark — a trace
  23. tube — a container
  24. bear — the animal

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