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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: bass · wound · charge · wave · rush · last · bat · plane

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bass — low music
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bat — the animal
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. charge — in control
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. last — to go on
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. last — final
  21. charge — a price
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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