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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: bass · rock · saw · bark · charge · chair · lash · hand

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rock — a stone
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bark — to shout
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bass — low music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hand — in cards
  15. charge — a price
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. charge — in control
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. hand — help
  24. bass — the instrument

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