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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 116 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: cell · staff · fall · rush · cap · scale · stock · charge

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. fall — the season
  3. cell — in biology
  4. scale — size or range
  5. staff — employees
  6. charge — in control
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stock — shares
  9. staff — employees
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fall — to drop
  13. staff — a stick
  14. charge — a price
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stock — goods
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. charge — electricity
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. scale — in music
  24. cap — of ice

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