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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
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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: straw · bass · charge · fan · spell · prune · season · scale

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. spell — letters
  4. charge — electricity
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spell — a short time
  8. season — in sport
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bass — the fish
  11. scale — size or range
  12. charge — a price
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bass — low music
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. scale — in music
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. spell — magic
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. charge — in control

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