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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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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: stem · charge · bear · clip · last · board · bank · rest

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. board — a committee
  3. rest — a break
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bank — for money
  6. last — final
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. board — to get on
  11. last — finally
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — in control
  14. last — to go on
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. clip — a video
  18. bank — for money
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bear — the animal
  23. clip — to cut
  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