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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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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: cell · stand · charge · band · wound · stick · fan · perch

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. charge — a price
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — electricity
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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