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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 · wake · pitch · bass · net · chest · spring · perch

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. charge — in control
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wake — a trail
  6. spring — the season
  7. net — in sport
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. spring — a coil
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bass — low music
  18. charge — a price
  19. chest — a box
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. spring — of water
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. charge — electricity

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