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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wind · charge · chair · rash · bark · lean · current · key

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rash — a series
  6. key — in music
  7. current — electric
  8. charge — a price
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. current — of water
  12. charge — in control
  13. bark — to shout
  14. current — happening now
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. charge — electricity
  19. key — for a lock
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rash — on the skin

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