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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. charge — a price
  4. bank — of a river
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. charge — in control
  11. bank — for money
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. swing — to play on
  15. club — a group
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. chair — a leader
  21. club — for dancing
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. club — for golf
  24. bank — for money

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