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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: wake · clip · wound · rush · bass · jam · charge · hand

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. hand — in cards
  3. clip — to cut
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. clip — a video
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bass — low music
  11. wake — a trail
  12. charge — in control
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. bass — the fish
  15. hand — help
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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