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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: track · charge · stand · ground · bat · bark · spring · season

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. season — in sport
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. spring — a coil
  10. charge — in control
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. spring — of water
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. spring — the season
  21. bark — to shout
  22. track — a path
  23. stand — to bear
  24. charge — a price

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