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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 · fan · track · land · band · court · charge · club

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. land — to come down
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. charge — in control
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. track — a path
  9. club — a group
  10. court — of law
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bark — to shout
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. charge — electricity
  16. land — ground
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. track — a song
  22. charge — a price
  23. club — for golf
  24. track — to keep track

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