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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 · shower · cell · current · bat · plane · bark · roll

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bat — the animal
  3. plane — a tool
  4. roll — a cake
  5. current — happening now
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — a price
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cell — a phone
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. roll — a list
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. current — electric
  22. charge — in control
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. current — of water

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