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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: board · charge · patient · bark · straw · rule · cell · bass

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rule — a law
  5. board — a committee
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. charge — in control
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bass — low music
  13. cell — a phone
  14. charge — electricity
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — government
  17. charge — a price
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. board — to get on
  20. cell — in biology
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bark — to shout
  24. straw — dry grass

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