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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: bank · shower · toast · firm · charge · capital · spring · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. firm — a company
  5. spring — the season
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. capital — money
  8. stem — to come from
  9. charge — in control
  10. firm — steady
  11. spring — of water
  12. bank — for money
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — bread
  15. bank — for money
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. capital — a city
  18. firm — decided
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. bank — of a river
  24. spring — a coil

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