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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. drill — army training
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. charge — a price
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. last — final
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. swing — to play on
  10. cell — in biology
  11. swing — in golf
  12. charge — electricity
  13. drill — the tool
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cell — a phone
  16. drill — a practice
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. charge — in control
  20. spell — letters
  21. last — finally
  22. bark — to shout
  23. swing — music
  24. last — to go on

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