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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 · drill · bark · bat · bear · bulb · hide · jam

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. drill — the tool
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bat — the animal
  8. charge — electricity
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. drill — army training
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. charge — a price
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. drill — a practice
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bark — of a tree
  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