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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: field · stick · wound · rule · staff · fall · rock · charge

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. staff — employees
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. rock — music
  6. charge — a price
  7. field — farmland
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. charge — in control
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rule — a law
  13. charge — electricity
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. fall — to drop
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. field — a subject
  21. wound — an injury
  22. field — for sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rule — government

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