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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: charge · saw · cap · season · ground · object · bark · squash

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. charge — electricity
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cap — a hat
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ground — crushed
  9. season — of the year
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. ground — the earth
  12. saw — the tool
  13. object — a thing
  14. cap — of ice
  15. squash — the sport
  16. season — in sport
  17. bark — to shout
  18. charge — in control
  19. ground — a position
  20. squash — to crush
  21. charge — a price
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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