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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: shower · board · leaves · roll · bark · pop · mate · charge

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. charge — a price
  3. board — to get on
  4. bark — to shout
  5. roll — a list
  6. board — a committee
  7. shower — rain
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pop — soda
  11. charge — in control
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. mate — to breed
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pop — music
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pop — to visit
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mate — a friend
  24. roll — on a roll

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