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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 · nail · charge · bound · pit · stem · last · fan

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. last — to go on
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bound — certain
  6. charge — electricity
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. last — final
  9. march — music
  10. last — finally
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bound — obliged
  13. stem — to come from
  14. march — the month
  15. bound — tied together
  16. charge — in control
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. charge — a price
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pit — in a race
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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