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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: bark · rest · foot · chest · straw · date · rock · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. chest — a box
  5. rest — what's left
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rock — music
  8. charge — electricity
  9. foot — a measure
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. charge — in control
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. chest — of your body
  20. date — the fruit
  21. rest — a break
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rest — what's left

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