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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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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: stick · charge · fall · stem · clip · mouse · lash · chip

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chip — to eat
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. fall — the season
  6. stem — to come from
  7. fall — to drop
  8. charge — electricity
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. charge — in control
  24. clip — for paper

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