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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 · wound · drill · pass · bass · branch · wake · lash

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. bass — low music
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. branch — a division
  11. charge — electricity
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. drill — the tool
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. branch — of a bank

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