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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: wound · charge · bass · cabinet · fine · wake · roll · pop

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pop — music
  7. roll — a list
  8. pop — soda
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wake — a trail
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. charge — in control
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. fine — all right
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. charge — electricity
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pop — to visit
  23. charge — a price
  24. bass — low music

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