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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: mate · chest · tear · stand · wake · charge · club · fine

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. charge — electricity
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. charge — a price
  7. wake — a trail
  8. club — for golf
  9. tear — to rip
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. chest — of your body
  23. club — a group
  24. chest — a box

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