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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
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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: rule · ball · patient · face · wave · charge · bark · spell

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rule — government
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. ball — a dance
  6. spell — magic
  7. charge — a price
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. spell — letters
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. face — part of the head
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — in control
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. ball — a great time
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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