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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 · shower · charge · kick · fan · face · land · mine

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. shower — rain
  3. charge — electricity
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. kick — in football
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. charge — in control
  11. land — to come down
  12. bark — to shout
  13. shower — to wash
  14. land — ground
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mine — for digging
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. face — to confront
  20. charge — a price
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. land — a country
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bark — of a tree

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