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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: wake · track · present · bark · file · bass · net · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. net — after costs
  5. track — to keep track
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. present — a gift
  9. bark — to shout
  10. present — the time now
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. net — in sport
  14. charge — electricity
  15. present — there
  16. bass — low music
  17. track — a path
  18. bass — the fish
  19. charge — in control
  20. net — for catching
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. track — a song
  24. wake — a trail

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