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

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mug — to rob
  3. toast — bread
  4. bass — the fish
  5. spring — the season
  6. mug — a face
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bank — for money
  11. bass — low music
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bank — for money
  14. bark — to shout
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. charge — in control
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. charge — a price
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bank — of a river
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. racket — a loud noise

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