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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: march · chair · fan · race · drill · rock · charge · stem

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. race — humankind
  5. march — the month
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. drill — the tool
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. race — a contest
  12. chair — a leader
  13. charge — a price
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rock — a stone
  16. charge — electricity
  17. drill — army training
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. march — the month
  20. rock — music
  21. stem — to come from
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. charge — in control
  24. march — music

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