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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 120 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: bank · wake · bass · fall · board · charge · mouse · mate

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. bank — of a river
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bank — for money
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bass — low music
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bank — for money
  14. fall — the season
  15. bass — the fish
  16. mate — a friend
  17. charge — a price
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. fall — to drop
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. charge — in control
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mouse — for a computer

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