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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 120 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: rash · charge · bound · calf · bat · bulb · bass · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. charge — electricity
  15. rash — a series
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bound — certain
  19. charge — in control
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bulb — for light
  24. charge — a price

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