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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: cold · drill · branch · charge · game · bass · wake · stand

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. branch — a division
  4. drill — the tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. drill — army training
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cold — not warm
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. charge — electricity
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cold — an illness
  13. game — a match
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. charge — a price
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stand — to bear
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bass — low music
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. game — wild animals

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