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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.

Words on the sheet
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: kid · suit · trunk · tear · bark · net · track · charge

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. tear — to rip
  4. track — a song
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. net — for catching
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. kid — child
  11. charge — a price
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. tear — from crying
  14. net — in sport
  15. tear — from crying
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bark — to shout
  18. track — to keep track
  19. net — after costs
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. charge — in control
  22. track — a path
  23. suit — clothes
  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