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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: charge · face · bass · stock · rock · net · wound · club

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wound — an injury
  5. face — to confront
  6. charge — in control
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rock — music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. charge — a price
  13. club — a group
  14. stock — shares
  15. club — for dancing
  16. face — to point toward
  17. club — for golf
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. net — after costs
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. stock — goods
  24. rock — a stone

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