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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: bark · toast · snap · land · pop · swing · charge · mouse

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. swing — music
  7. land — ground
  8. charge — a price
  9. pop — soda
  10. snap — to click
  11. toast — bread
  12. charge — electricity
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. swing — in golf
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. land — a country
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bark — to shout
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. land — to come down
  24. charge — in control

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