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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: face · charge · last · stem · rush · toast · march · band

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. last — final
  3. toast — bread
  4. charge — a price
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. face — to point toward
  7. rush — hurry
  8. march — music
  9. charge — in control
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. band — a music group
  13. face — to confront
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. last — finally
  16. march — the month
  17. last — to go on
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. march — the month
  22. face — part of the head
  23. band — a ring
  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