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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 120 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 · charge · firm · file · rush · cold · bore · pitcher

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. firm — steady
  12. firm — a company
  13. bore — to drill
  14. charge — a price
  15. file — a tool
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — in control
  19. file — a document
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. firm — decided

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