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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · charge · ball · press · roll · kid · racket · tube

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. tube — a container
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. charge — in control
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. press — to push
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. tube — the underground
  17. roll — a list
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. press — newspapers
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. press — a publisher
  23. charge — a price
  24. ball — a round shape

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