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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: pop · bank · stem · rule · club · press · tear · charge

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bank — of a river
  4. pop — soda
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. pop — to visit
  7. charge — electricity
  8. rule — a law
  9. club — for golf
  10. bank — for money
  11. charge — a price
  12. club — a group
  13. press — to push
  14. tear — from crying
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — newspapers
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pop — music
  19. bank — for money
  20. charge — in control
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rule — government
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rule — to rule out

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