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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 · saw · tear · rock · lie · bark · ground · ball

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. ball — a dance
  4. charge — a price
  5. ground — the earth
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. charge — in control
  14. bark — to shout
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. ball — a great time
  17. lie — to recline
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. rock — to move gently

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