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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bark — to shout
  3. charge — in control
  4. land — to come down
  5. bass — low music
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. charge — electricity
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. chip — for betting
  12. land — a country
  13. bound — tied together
  14. spring — a coil
  15. land — ground
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. spring — the season
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bass — the fish
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bound — certain
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. charge — a price

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