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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 116 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: staff · stock · charge · bark · kid · ground · face · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. charge — in control
  4. kid — to tease
  5. ground — a position
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. stock — goods
  13. bark — to shout
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stock — shares
  17. ground — the earth
  18. kid — child
  19. charge — a price
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. charge — electricity

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