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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 116 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: fan · plane · clip · chair · suit · bark · charge · land

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. land — to come down
  3. clip — for paper
  4. suit — in cards
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. charge — electricity
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. clip — to cut
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — a price
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. clip — a video
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. plane — a tool
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — to fit
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. land — a country
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. land — ground

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