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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.

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: rock · bear · court · bark · wake · board · mate · charge

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. rock — music
  2. mate — a friend
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bear — the animal
  8. court — for sport
  9. board — a committee
  10. charge — in control
  11. court — of a king
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mate — a partner
  18. board — to get on
  19. bark — to shout
  20. charge — a price
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. court — of law
  23. wake — a trail
  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