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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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468
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: season · charge · row · roll · tube · bark · wound · rash

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rash — a series
  6. roll — a list
  7. season — in sport
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. charge — a price
  12. row — a line
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. season — of the year
  15. charge — electricity
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bark — to shout
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. charge — in control
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rash — hasty

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