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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 116 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: staff · march · can · stem · pitcher · rule · charge · tear

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. march — the month
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. charge — in control
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — government
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. staff — employees
  14. tear — to rip
  15. can — to be able to
  16. stem — to come from
  17. charge — a price
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. tear — from crying
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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