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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: rest · mouse · pitcher · charge · bass · wound · file · ground

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ground — a position
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rest — a break
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. charge — a price
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. file — a tool
  14. bass — the fish
  15. charge — in control
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rest — what's left
  21. file — a document
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bass — low music
  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