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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: chair · band · pass · craft · land · tube · present · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. craft — boats
  6. present — there
  7. craft — a skill
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. charge — in control
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. tube — the underground
  17. charge — a price
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — a permit
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. tube — a container
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. land — a country

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