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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 120 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 · rest · wound · rash · cap · fork · bass · wave

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. charge — electricity
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. bass — the fish
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rest — what's left
  19. charge — a price
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. rash — a series
  24. charge — in control

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