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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: charge · face · last · object · bark · squash · land · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. charge — electricity
  5. face — to confront
  6. squash — to crush
  7. face — to point toward
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. charge — in control
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. object — to protest
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. last — to go on
  15. object — an aim
  16. land — ground
  17. bark — to shout
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. charge — a price
  23. fall — to drop
  24. object — a thing

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