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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: wave · race · hand · roll · pitcher · charge · stem · march

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hand — help
  3. march — the month
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. march — music
  9. charge — in control
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — a list
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. march — the month
  16. race — humankind
  17. charge — a price
  18. hand — in cards
  19. charge — electricity
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. race — a contest
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. stem — of a plant

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