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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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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: bore · charge · bat · stand · hand · lean · row · saw

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hand — in cards
  4. charge — a price
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. row — a line
  9. bat — the animal
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bore — to drill
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. lean — thin
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bore — to tire
  21. charge — in control
  22. hand — help
  23. lean — to bend
  24. saw — the tool

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