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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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. chip — to eat
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. charge — a price
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. saw — the tool
  10. root — the cause
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. row — a line
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. root — of a word
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. chip — for betting
  19. root — of a plant
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bark — to shout
  24. charge — in control

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