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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: snap · chest · lean · hand · charge · cold · bank · mouse

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. bank — for money
  3. hand — help
  4. chest — a box
  5. snap — to click
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bank — for money
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. charge — a price
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bank — of a river
  14. charge — electricity
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. lean — to bend
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. lean — thin
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. mouse — the animal

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