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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: straw · charge · cell · racket · foot · wake · bass · bark

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. charge — in control
  4. bass — the fish
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. charge — a price
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wake — a trail
  15. charge — electricity
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bass — low music
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — to shout
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — a measure
  24. cell — in a prison

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