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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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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 · tear · vault · bark · cell · bore · rock · wound

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rock — a stone
  3. charge — a price
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bore — to drill
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rock — music
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. vault — a safe
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. charge — electricity
  20. wound — an injury
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. charge — in control
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. tear — from crying

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