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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
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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: charge · bear · lash · bass · rash · date · bore · field

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. field — a subject
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bore — to drill
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bass — the fish
  11. field — for sport
  12. charge — in control
  13. field — farmland
  14. bear — the animal
  15. charge — a price
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bass — low music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rash — a series
  24. date — on the calendar

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