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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: bear · staff · hand · charge · wound · stem · mouse · snap

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. staff — employees
  11. charge — electricity
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. bear — the animal
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. staff — a stick
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. staff — employees
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to click
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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