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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 · bay · pop · cell · cabinet · tube · charge · clip

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. charge — in control
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. charge — electricity
  11. pop — soda
  12. clip — a video
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. clip — to cut
  17. charge — a price
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bark — to shout
  22. cell — in biology
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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