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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · charge · ground · band · bass · tear · fall · staff

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. band — a ring
  4. bass — the fish
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fall — to drop
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. charge — a price
  14. tear — from crying
  15. charge — electricity
  16. staff — a stick
  17. ground — crushed
  18. tear — to rip
  19. band — a music group
  20. staff — employees
  21. charge — in control
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. staff — employees

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