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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. fine — all right
  3. chest — of your body
  4. charge — electricity
  5. face — to point toward
  6. charge — a price
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. face — to confront
  10. bass — low music
  11. bank — for money
  12. chest — a box
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. charge — in control
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bank — for money
  24. chest — of your body

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