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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 120 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: band · board · charge · fall · shower · bulb · stock · stem

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. fall — the season
  3. stem — to come from
  4. band — a music group
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. charge — in control
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bulb — for light
  9. charge — electricity
  10. band — a ring
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stock — goods
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. charge — a price
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stock — shares
  19. board — a committee
  20. shower — rain
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. board — to get on

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