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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 120 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: mine · rule · charge · bark · ground · season · firm · march

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. firm — steady
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rule — government
  5. ground — the earth
  6. firm — decided
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rule — a law
  11. mine — for digging
  12. march — the month
  13. charge — a price
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. march — the month
  16. charge — electricity
  17. season — of the year
  18. bark — to shout
  19. charge — in control
  20. season — in sport
  21. firm — a company
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. march — music

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