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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · fan · charge · rush · mate · bark · mug · land

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a face
  7. charge — a price
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mug — a cup
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — in control
  15. land — a country
  16. cold — not warm
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bark — to shout
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. fan — a supporter

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