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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: row · charge · stem · mine · band · arm · season · file

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. file — a line of people
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. charge — in control
  5. mine — for digging
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. row — a line
  8. stem — to come from
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. season — of the year
  12. file — a document
  13. row — to paddle
  14. band — a music group
  15. season — in sport
  16. charge — electricity
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. band — a ring
  19. charge — a price
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. file — a tool
  24. mine — belonging to me

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