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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: squash · stem · fan · charge · lean · roll · fine · scale

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. charge — electricity
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. squash — the sport
  11. scale — in music
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stem — to come from
  16. charge — a price
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. squash — to crush
  20. charge — in control
  21. lean — thin
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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