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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: court · ground · branch · game · can · bark · patient · charge

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. can — a tin
  3. ground — crushed
  4. game — a match
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. charge — a price
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. can — a tin
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. can — to be able to
  17. charge — electricity
  18. ground — the earth
  19. court — for sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ground — a position
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bark — to shout

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