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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: bore · net · fall · march · last · can · band · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. net — for catching
  3. last — final
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. charge — a price
  7. can — a tin
  8. march — the month
  9. can — to be able to
  10. band — a ring
  11. can — a tin
  12. march — the month
  13. net — in sport
  14. fall — to drop
  15. march — music
  16. fall — the season
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. band — a music group
  22. charge — in control
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. net — after costs

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