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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bound — tied together
  5. charge — in control
  6. current — electric
  7. row — to paddle
  8. firm — a company
  9. charge — a price
  10. wound — an injury
  11. row — a line
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. firm — decided
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. firm — steady
  22. current — of water
  23. current — happening now
  24. row — a quarrel

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