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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 · dip · bulb · bark · race · cap · ground · straw

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. ground — a position
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. charge — a price
  6. race — humankind
  7. ground — the earth
  8. charge — in control
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bark — to shout
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. race — a contest
  16. bulb — for light
  17. charge — electricity
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cap — a hat
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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