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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 120 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: wind · nail · mate · fall · content · season · stem · charge

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mate — a partner
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mate — to breed
  8. content — the amount
  9. charge — electricity
  10. season — of the year
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fall — the season
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. content — happy
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wind — moving air
  21. charge — a price
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. charge — in control
  24. stem — a stem cell

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