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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 120 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: march · bulb · coach · trunk · hand · bark · kid · charge

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. charge — a price
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. charge — in control
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. march — music
  15. hand — help
  16. bulb — for light
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. charge — electricity
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. march — the month
  21. hand — in cards
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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