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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: charge · straw · hide · game · wound · nail · stand · bore

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. charge — a price
  3. stand — to bear
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wound — an injury
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bore — to tire
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. charge — in control
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bore — to drill
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. charge — electricity
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. game — wild animals
  24. nail — on a finger

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