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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: file · suit · degree · bark · net · roll · charge · trunk

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. net — for catching
  3. degree — from a university
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. degree — temperature
  7. roll — a cake
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bark — to shout
  10. file — a tool
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. net — in sport
  13. file — a document
  14. suit — to fit
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. suit — in cards
  18. roll — a list
  19. degree — an amount
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. suit — clothes
  22. charge — in control
  23. net — after costs
  24. charge — electricity

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