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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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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: bass · kid · deal · mark · charge · date · tube · bank

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. charge — in control
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bank — for money
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. charge — a price
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mark — a trace
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. date — the fruit
  20. charge — electricity
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bass — low music
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bass — the fish

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