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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: race · present · tube · land · stand · wound · charge · hand

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. present — a gift
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. charge — a price
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. hand — in cards
  8. present — there
  9. tube — the underground
  10. present — the time now
  11. stand — to bear
  12. land — a country
  13. charge — in control
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wound — an injury
  17. hand — help
  18. tube — a container
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. race — a contest

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