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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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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: staff · bound · pop · snap · sharp · stem · kid · charge

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. kid — to tease
  4. charge — in control
  5. kid — child
  6. charge — a price
  7. staff — a stick
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. snap — to click
  12. bound — tied together
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pop — soda
  16. sharp — clever
  17. charge — electricity
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pop — to visit
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pop — music
  23. staff — employees
  24. sharp — exactly

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