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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bank — for money
  4. charge — a price
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. band — a music group
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bank — for money
  10. charge — in control
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bank — of a river
  13. sharp — clever
  14. march — music
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. press — to push
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. march — the month
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. press — newspapers
  21. band — a ring
  22. march — the month
  23. press — a publisher
  24. charge — electricity

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