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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: leaves · stem · squash · wound · game · charge · bore · mate

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. game — wild animals
  5. charge — a price
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bore — to tire
  9. charge — electricity
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. stem — to come from
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bore — to drill
  20. squash — the sport
  21. game — a match
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. charge — in control

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