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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bark — to shout
  3. chip — for betting
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. charge — in control
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. last — to go on
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mug — a face
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. last — finally
  16. chip — to eat
  17. charge — a price
  18. stem — to come from
  19. last — final
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mug — a cup

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