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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: toast · coach · present · land · chip · charge · bark · spring

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. charge — electricity
  11. spring — a coil
  12. land — ground
  13. charge — in control
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. present — there
  16. toast — bread
  17. present — the time now
  18. spring — the season
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. charge — a price
  22. spring — of water
  23. present — a gift
  24. chip — for betting

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