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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: coach · tear · chair · charge · clip · mark · bark · wave

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bark — to shout
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. charge — electricity
  15. tear — from crying
  16. charge — in control
  17. clip — a video
  18. charge — a price
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. clip — to cut

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