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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: bark · content · bass · wound · charge · coach · press · mark

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. charge — in control
  3. bass — low music
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. press — a publisher
  6. charge — a price
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wound — an injury
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. press — newspapers
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wound — an injury
  16. content — happy
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. content — the amount
  22. bass — the fish
  23. mark — a grade
  24. charge — electricity

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