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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 · bark · hide · mouse · face · wind · rock · cap

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. face — part of the head
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bark — to shout
  6. face — to confront
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rock — music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — in control
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rock — a stone

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