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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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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 · stem · rule · charge · wound · pit · fork · squash

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. pit — a hole
  3. tube — the underground
  4. stem — to come from
  5. tube — a container
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pit — in a race
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rule — a law
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. charge — in control
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. charge — electricity
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. fork — in a road
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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