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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: cabinet · safe · craft · charge · kick · tear · wake · bass

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. craft — boats
  4. charge — a price
  5. bass — low music
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bass — the fish
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. wake — a trail
  24. craft — a skill

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