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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: coach · bear · lash · stand · cell · hand · charge · march

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. hand — in cards
  3. march — music
  4. charge — in control
  5. hand — help
  6. charge — electricity
  7. march — the month
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stand — to bear
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. charge — a price
  14. cell — a phone
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bear — the animal
  17. march — the month
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cell — in biology
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bear — to put up with

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