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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: wind · firm · charge · season · mark · bass · roll · band

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. charge — a price
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. firm — decided
  6. band — a music group
  7. charge — in control
  8. season — in sport
  9. roll — a list
  10. firm — steady
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. firm — a company
  13. roll — a cake
  14. band — a ring
  15. season — of the year
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bass — low music
  23. charge — electricity
  24. wind — moving air

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