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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: board · temple · mine · pound · charge · pitcher · bark · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fine — all right
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bark — to shout
  8. board — to get on
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. board — a committee
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. charge — electricity

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