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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 · wax · coach · hand · net · charge · board · sharp

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — in control
  3. net — for catching
  4. hand — help
  5. board — a committee
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. net — after costs
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. charge — electricity
  10. board — to get on
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wax — to grow
  18. sharp — clever
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bark — to shout
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. net — in sport
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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