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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.

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: wake · chair · content · bark · wound · charge · press · shower

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. charge — in control
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. press — newspapers
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. press — to push
  11. content — the amount
  12. chair — a leader
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. press — a publisher
  15. charge — a price
  16. shower — to wash
  17. charge — electricity
  18. shower — rain
  19. content — happy
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. wake — a trail

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