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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: charge · bass · pound · hand · lash · chest · mug · fan

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mug — to rob
  7. chest — a box
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mug — a face
  13. charge — a price
  14. hand — help
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bass — low music
  19. charge — in control
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pound — a weight
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bass — the fish

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