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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: charge · game · bass · patient · hide · bark · race · shower

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. race — a contest
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. shower — rain
  9. bark — to shout
  10. shower — to wash
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. charge — a price
  14. bass — low music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. charge — electricity
  18. race — humankind
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. race — the arms race
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bass — the fish

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