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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 · roll · charge · racket · wound · shower · face · pound

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bark — to shout
  5. face — to point toward
  6. wound — an injury
  7. shower — rain
  8. charge — electricity
  9. face — part of the head
  10. charge — in control
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wound — an injury
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. roll — a cake
  16. charge — a price
  17. roll — a list
  18. face — to confront
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pound — a weight
  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