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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 116 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: land · current · drill · charge · snap · bass · tube · file

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. drill — army training
  3. file — a tool
  4. current — electric
  5. charge — a price
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. file — a document
  9. land — ground
  10. snap — to click
  11. drill — a practice
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bass — the fish
  14. land — to come down
  15. charge — electricity
  16. current — of water
  17. drill — the tool
  18. current — happening now
  19. tube — a container
  20. charge — in control
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. land — a country
  23. bass — low music
  24. file — a line of people

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