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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: bay · last · pound · mine · season · spring · charge · bark

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bark — to shout
  3. spring — a coil
  4. charge — in control
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. season — of the year
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. last — finally
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. last — final
  12. season — in sport
  13. spring — of water
  14. mine — for digging
  15. last — to go on
  16. pound — a weight
  17. charge — electricity
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. spring — the season
  22. charge — a price
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. mine — an explosive

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