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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: lean · track · board · march · tube · charge · hand · snap

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. board — a committee
  4. lean — to bend
  5. charge — in control
  6. hand — in cards
  7. track — a path
  8. tube — a container
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. march — the month
  11. snap — to click
  12. march — music
  13. track — to keep track
  14. lean — thin
  15. board — to get on
  16. tube — the underground
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. track — a song
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — a price
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. hand — help

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