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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. rock — music
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rash — a series
  5. can — a tin
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bark — to shout
  8. kid — child
  9. charge — in control
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rock — a stone
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. charge — electricity
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. can — a tin
  19. spring — of water
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. spring — a coil
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spring — the season
  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