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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 124 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 · drill · mug · charge · date · land · key · craft

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. date — the fruit
  3. key — in music
  4. land — a country
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. drill — a practice
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mug — a cup
  10. key — for a lock
  11. drill — the tool
  12. charge — electricity
  13. drill — army training
  14. charge — in control
  15. key — the most important part
  16. land — ground
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. land — to come down
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — a skill

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