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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: stand · saw · hand · last · wake · ground · bank · charge

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. last — to go on
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ground — a position
  13. charge — in control
  14. bank — for money
  15. charge — a price
  16. last — final
  17. charge — electricity
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bank — of a river
  21. last — finally
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bank — for money

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