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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: fork · charge · mate · tube · staff · saw · club · drill

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mate — a friend
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. staff — a stick
  6. drill — a practice
  7. saw — the tool
  8. charge — in control
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. staff — employees
  11. club — for golf
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. charge — electricity
  14. staff — employees
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. charge — a price
  17. mate — to breed
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. club — a group
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fork — in a road
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mate — a partner

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