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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 · stem · chair · bulb · fall · pitcher · mine · tube

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fall — to drop
  10. charge — in control
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mine — for digging
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. tube — a container
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. charge — electricity
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. charge — a price
  24. bulb — 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