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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: trunk · mate · ball · bass · bat · bulb · straw · charge

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bass — low music
  5. charge — in control
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ball — a great time
  11. charge — electricity
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mate — a friend
  17. ball — a dance
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. charge — a price
  24. straw — dry grass

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