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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 120 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: kid · coach · dip · bark · stand · charge · squash · last

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. kid — child
  3. last — finally
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. last — to go on
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. charge — in control
  13. squash — the sport
  14. stand — to bear
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. last — final
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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