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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: stand · coach · clip · charge · object · ground · wound · cabinet

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. object — an aim
  4. clip — a video
  5. ground — the earth
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. charge — a price
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — in control
  11. object — to protest
  12. ground — crushed
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. ground — a position
  15. wound — an injury
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stand — to bear
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. object — a thing

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