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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · pitch · bass · chest · bark · key · stem · land

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — in control
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — completely
  6. key — the most important part
  7. chest — a box
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. land — a country
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. chest — of your body
  12. charge — electricity
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. key — in music
  16. land — to come down
  17. bark — to shout
  18. land — ground
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bass — the fish
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bass — low music
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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