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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: swing · present · charge · leaves · degree · file · bark · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wind — moving air
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. swing — in golf
  6. file — a tool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. file — a line of people
  12. present — the time now
  13. degree — temperature
  14. present — a gift
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bark — to shout
  18. present — there
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. file — a document
  22. swing — music
  23. leaves — to go away
  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