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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · tear · nail · face · spring · squash · charge · fork

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. tear — from crying
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. charge — a price
  5. face — to point toward
  6. squash — to crush
  7. charge — in control
  8. spring — the season
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bark — to shout
  13. tear — from crying
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. tear — to rip
  21. spring — a coil
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. spring — of water
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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