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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.

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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: root · stand · wound · fall · club · cap · game · charge

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. root — the cause
  5. cap — of ice
  6. club — for golf
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. charge — in control
  9. game — a match
  10. charge — electricity
  11. club — a group
  12. root — of a word
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stand — to bear
  16. game — wild animals
  17. fall — the season
  18. charge — a price
  19. club — for dancing
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fall — to drop
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fall — to drop

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