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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: rock · bore · land · content · season · staff · can · charge

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. staff — employees
  3. season — of the year
  4. charge — a price
  5. staff — employees
  6. bore — to drill
  7. content — happy
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. charge — electricity
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. can — a tin
  13. land — a country
  14. charge — in control
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. staff — a stick
  18. rock — music
  19. can — to be able to
  20. land — to come down
  21. content — the amount
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. land — ground
  24. bore — to tire

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