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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. band — a ring
  3. march — the month
  4. staff — a stick
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. staff — employees
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. roll — a cake
  10. band — a music group
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stand — to bear
  14. charge — a price
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. march — the month
  20. roll — a list
  21. staff — employees
  22. march — music
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. charge — in control

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