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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · lie · charge · band · stand · mug · cell · bark

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bark — to shout
  6. band — a music group
  7. charge — a price
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. charge — in control
  12. band — a ring
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cell — a phone
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mug — to rob
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. hand — help
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — to bear
  23. cell — in biology
  24. lie — to recline

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