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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 116 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: lean · cabinet · tear · bark · net · cap · charge · ball

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. charge — in control
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. ball — a dance
  8. lean — to bend
  9. net — for catching
  10. charge — electricity
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lean — thin
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. charge — a price
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. ball — a great time
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. net — after costs
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cap — a hat
  22. net — in sport
  23. bark — to shout
  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