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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.

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: season · toast · band · file · plane · bark · charge · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. charge — electricity
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. charge — a price
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. toast — bread
  9. fork — in a road
  10. band — a ring
  11. charge — in control
  12. bark — to shout
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. plane — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. season — in sport
  23. band — a music group
  24. file — a tool

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