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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: temple · stand · march · charge · wax · bat · mate · straw

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. charge — in control
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mate — a partner
  15. charge — a price
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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