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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: ball · bass · board · bound · cold · stem · charge · rush

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bound — certain
  5. board — a committee
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. ball — a dance
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. charge — in control
  12. board — to get on
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rush — hurry
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bass — low music
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bound — tied together
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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