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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 116 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: rash · last · calf · cabinet · charge · bark · mark · mine

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mark — a trace
  5. last — to go on
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. charge — electricity
  9. last — finally
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. charge — a price
  15. rash — a series
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. last — final
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mine — for digging
  21. charge — in control
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. calf — a young animal

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