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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: date · ball · hand · bass · spring · wound · mug · charge

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. charge — electricity
  3. ball — a great time
  4. date — the fruit
  5. spring — a coil
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spring — of water
  11. ball — a dance
  12. charge — a price
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bass — low music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. charge — in control
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. spring — the season
  21. hand — help
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bass — the fish
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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