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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wax · bass · charge · spell · pitcher · bark

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. spell — magic
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. spell — letters
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price

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