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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: race · rash · hand · bark · charge · rock · tube · pass

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. race — a contest
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — a permit
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rock — music
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. charge — a price
  16. hand — in cards
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rash — hasty
  19. race — humankind
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rash — a series
  22. charge — in control
  23. tube — a container
  24. hand — help

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