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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: spell · club · stem · jam · charge · squash · cabinet · bore

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. spell — letters
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spell — a short time
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. charge — electricity
  8. club — a group
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. club — for golf
  15. spell — magic
  16. bore — to drill
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — a price
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — in traffic

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