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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: bark · perch · bound · hand · charge · lean · face · mate

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. charge — in control
  3. bark — to shout
  4. charge — a price
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. face — part of the head
  7. charge — electricity
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mate — a partner
  10. perch — the fish
  11. lean — thin
  12. mate — to breed
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mate — a friend
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hand — help
  21. face — to confront
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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