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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: pitcher · ruler · stem · kid · land · pass · charge · squash

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. charge — electricity
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. land — ground
  5. squash — to crush
  6. kid — child
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. charge — in control
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. land — a country
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. kid — to tease
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. charge — a price
  20. land — to come down
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. stem — to come from
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pass — a permit

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