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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: date · charge · fine · object · scale · present · row · stem

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. present — there
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. object — an aim
  5. date — the fruit
  6. fine — high quality
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. charge — in control
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. scale — size or range
  11. object — to protest
  12. row — a line
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. scale — in music
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. present — the time now
  20. object — a thing
  21. stem — to come from
  22. present — a gift
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — a price

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