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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: rock · squash · fall · march · stem · charge · snap · ground

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rock — music
  6. snap — to click
  7. charge — electricity
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. charge — a price
  10. fall — the season
  11. march — the month
  12. stem — to come from
  13. ground — crushed
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. march — the month
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. charge — in control
  20. march — music
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rock — a stone
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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