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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — a price
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spring — a coil
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tube — a container
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. spring — of water
  13. tube — the underground
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. fall — the season
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. hand — help
  18. bark — to shout
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. spring — the season
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bear — the animal
  24. hand — in cards

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