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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: saw · hand · chest · stand · charge · rest · bat · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. rest — a break
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. chest — a box
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stand — to bear
  21. charge — in control
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rest — what's left
  24. chest — of your body

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