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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tube — the underground
  4. charge — in control
  5. ground — a position
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ground — the earth
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. charge — a price
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ground — crushed
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bark — to shout
  20. perch — the fish
  21. tube — a container
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. current — happening now

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