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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: charge · bark · snap · march · squash · tear · chip · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. squash — the sport
  4. current — of water
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. march — the month
  7. chip — for betting
  8. march — music
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. snap — to click
  11. current — electric
  12. bark — to shout
  13. chip — to eat
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. tear — to rip
  16. charge — a price
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. tear — from crying
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. squash — to crush
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. tear — from crying
  24. march — the month

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