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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 116 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: plane · cell · rest · charge · bark · mouse · wound · fall

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fall — the season
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — in control
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cell — in biology
  10. fall — to drop
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rest — a break
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. charge — a price
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. plane — in geometry

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