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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: land · pitcher · firm · wake · jam · content · charge · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. content — happy
  3. land — ground
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. land — to come down
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. firm — steady
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. charge — a price
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. charge — electricity
  16. firm — a company
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. firm — decided
  20. band — a ring
  21. land — a country
  22. charge — in control
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. jam — a tight spot

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