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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: charge · cold · mark · deal · present · stem · net · bark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. net — in sport
  3. charge — electricity
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. net — after costs
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mark — a trace
  10. charge — in control
  11. present — the time now
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mark — a grade
  14. present — there
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. net — for catching
  18. charge — a price
  19. present — a gift
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bark — to shout

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