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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: bear · charge · roll · bark · rule · pound · land · chip

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bear — the animal
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bear — the animal
  5. charge — in control
  6. roll — a list
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. land — to come down
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. land — a country
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bark — to shout
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. land — ground
  17. charge — a price
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — a law
  21. pound — a weight
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. roll — on a roll

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