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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: rest · bulb · rush · content · charge · pound · land · bass

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. charge — a price
  3. rush — hurry
  4. land — ground
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. land — to come down
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bass — low music
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. land — a country
  18. charge — in control
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — happy
  21. pound — a weight
  22. rest — a break
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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