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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: bark · charge · lash · plane · mate · foot · cold · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. plane — a tool
  3. charge — electricity
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. charge — in control
  6. cold — not warm
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. cold — an illness
  9. charge — a price
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mate — to breed
  14. chair — a leader
  15. mate — a friend
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mate — a partner
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. chair — a professorship

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