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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: season · charge · hand · club · lie · stem · pound · object

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. charge — a price
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. season — in sport
  5. hand — help
  6. object — to protest
  7. club — a group
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stem — to come from
  10. club — for golf
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. object — an aim
  16. charge — electricity
  17. pound — a weight
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. club — for dancing
  20. charge — in control
  21. object — a thing
  22. lie — to recline
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. lie — an untruth

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