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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. charge — a price
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. game — wild animals
  11. scale — in music
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. scale — size or range
  15. track — a song
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. tear — to rip
  19. game — a match
  20. charge — in control
  21. track — a path
  22. rush — hurry
  23. tear — from crying
  24. charge — electricity

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