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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · cabinet · wind · shower · present · charge · chip · pass

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pass — a permit
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. present — there
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. charge — in control
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. present — a gift
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. charge — electricity
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. shower — rain
  24. present — the time now

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