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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: club · scale · bark · bore · charge · season · shower · racket

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. charge — a price
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. charge — in control
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bore — to tire
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. season — of the year
  11. shower — rain
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. scale — in music
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bark — to shout
  21. charge — electricity
  22. scale — size or range
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bore — gave birth

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