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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. charge — a price
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rock — music
  5. bark — to shout
  6. charge — in control
  7. club — for dancing
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. perch — the fish
  12. charge — electricity
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. club — for golf
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. club — a group
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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