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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: bark · charge · cabinet · can · stand · field · chair · sharp

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. field — a subject
  5. charge — a price
  6. can — a tin
  7. field — farmland
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. can — to be able to
  10. field — for sport
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. stand — to bear
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. can — a tin
  16. charge — in control
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. charge — electricity
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bark — to shout

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