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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: board · ground · rest · wax · bark · hide · charge · spell

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. charge — a price
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rest — a break
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wax — to grow
  10. spell — letters
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ground — crushed
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. charge — electricity
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. ground — a position
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. spell — magic
  23. ground — the earth
  24. charge — in control

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