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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 · mug · track · shower · bark · ball · wake · arm

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. track — a path
  3. charge — a price
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mug — a cup
  7. ball — a great time
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mug — a face
  10. shower — to wash
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. charge — in control
  14. shower — rain
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. track — to keep track
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wake — a trail
  20. track — a song
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. ball — a dance

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