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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 · ball · trunk · shower · staff · charge · drill · lie

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. charge — electricity
  3. drill — the tool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. staff — employees
  8. bark — to shout
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. drill — a practice
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. ball — a dance
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — a price
  17. lie — to recline
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. shower — rain
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. ball — a great time
  23. staff — employees
  24. drill — army training

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