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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.

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: bark · charge · season · cold · wind · bass · stand · track

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. track — a path
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. charge — a price
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bass — low music
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bass — the fish
  23. track — a song
  24. bark — to shout

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