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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: sharp · bank · bound · hand · wake · bass · pitcher · charge

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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. sharp — clever
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. bound — certain
  7. bass — low music
  8. bank — for money
  9. charge — electricity
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bound — obliged
  18. charge — in control
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. charge — a price
  24. pitcher — a jug

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