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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: charge · game · bore · stem · bark · saw · wax · staff

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. staff — employees
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. game — a match
  8. charge — a price
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bore — to tire
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bore — to drill
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. charge — in control
  17. bark — to shout
  18. staff — employees
  19. charge — electricity
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. staff — a stick
  24. stem — to come from

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