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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: capital · bulb · charge · cell · hand · drill · staff · fall

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fall — the season
  4. capital — money
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cell — in biology
  12. drill — a practice
  13. staff — a stick
  14. charge — in control
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. staff — employees
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. drill — army training
  20. fall — to drop
  21. charge — a price
  22. capital — a city
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. hand — in cards

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