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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 120 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: bowl · fall · bark · cell · fork · fine · charge · hide

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fall — the season
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. cell — in biology
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fork — in a road
  13. charge — a price
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bark — to shout
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fall — to drop
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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