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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: bear · mate · charge · stick · spring · stand · saw · row

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mate — a friend
  5. row — a line
  6. charge — electricity
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stand — to bear
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mate — a partner
  16. charge — in control
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mate — to breed
  20. charge — a price
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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