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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. charge — a price
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. court — of law
  6. fall — the season
  7. march — the month
  8. court — for sport
  9. march — the month
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lean — thin
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. charge — electricity
  19. lean — to bend
  20. charge — in control
  21. march — music
  22. court — of a king
  23. bear — the animal
  24. trunk — of a tree

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