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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: lean · rush · wind · pop · charge · bear · land · bass

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. lean — thin
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wind — moving air
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bass — low music
  10. charge — a price
  11. land — a country
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pop — music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. lean — to bend
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. charge — in control
  23. pop — soda
  24. land — to come down

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