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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: charge · last · bass · date · roll · march · can · stem

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. last — finally
  4. stem — to come from
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — in control
  8. bass — low music
  9. roll — a list
  10. can — to be able to
  11. march — music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. last — to go on
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. march — the month
  17. last — final
  18. roll — a cake
  19. charge — a price
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. date — the fruit
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. march — the month

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