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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 120 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: bulb · wave · content · bass · ground · charge · bark · mark

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. ground — a position
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. charge — in control
  14. bass — low music
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ground — the earth
  19. charge — a price
  20. content — the amount
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bulb — for light
  24. ground — crushed

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