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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: arm · fine · lean · shower · straw · charge · prune · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. charge — a price
  3. fine — all right
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. charge — electricity
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. shower — to wash
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lean — to bend
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bass — the fish
  18. shower — rain
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. fine — high quality
  21. lean — thin
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. charge — in control

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