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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 116 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: cabinet · race · mate · stick · wound · charge · object · lean

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wound — an injury
  3. object — to protest
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. mate — to breed
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — a price
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. race — the arms race
  14. object — a thing
  15. charge — in control
  16. lean — thin
  17. object — an aim
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lean — to bend
  21. race — a contest
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. race — humankind

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