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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pit — a hole
  3. saw — the tool
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bass — low music
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. charge — a price
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bark — to shout
  23. saw — the tool
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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