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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: charge · stand · march · swing · stick · temple · straw · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. swing — in golf
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. march — the month
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. stand — to bear
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. charge — in control
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. can — a tin
  16. swing — music
  17. march — the month
  18. charge — a price
  19. march — music
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. can — a tin
  22. swing — to play on
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. charge — electricity

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