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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: rash · tear · rush · mouse · bass · lie · charge · fall

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rash — hasty
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. charge — electricity
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rash — a series
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rush — hurry
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bass — low music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. tear — from crying
  23. charge — a price
  24. bass — the fish

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