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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · clip · wound · mouse · court · bark · leaves · charge

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. court — of law
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. charge — in control
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stand — to bear
  11. court — of a king
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. clip — for paper
  14. charge — a price
  15. court — for sport
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. clip — to cut
  21. charge — electricity
  22. clip — a video
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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