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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: fall · march · temple · lean · stand · chair · charge · lash

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. march — music
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. charge — a price
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. charge — electricity
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. lean — to bend
  15. fall — to drop
  16. march — the month
  17. charge — in control
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. fall — the season
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. march — the month
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. lean — thin

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