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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: rest · cell · charge · bark · stand · face · last · hand

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. last — to go on
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. rest — a break
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. face — to confront
  10. hand — help
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. last — final
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stand — to bear
  17. charge — a price
  18. last — finally
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rest — what's left
  23. charge — electricity
  24. cell — a phone

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