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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: wake · bass · club · bulb · charge · fall · band · rule

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for golf
  3. rule — a law
  4. club — for dancing
  5. fall — the season
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bass — low music
  16. charge — in control
  17. rule — government
  18. charge — a price
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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