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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: charge · rash · tear · dip · bass · band · root · fall

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to sink
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bass — low music
  6. band — a music group
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. root — of a word
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — a price
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. root — of a plant
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. band — a ring
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. tear — from crying
  22. charge — electricity
  23. root — the cause
  24. tear — from crying

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