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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. saw — the tool
  3. roll — a list
  4. bound — certain
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. charge — a price
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bound — tied together
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bore — to drill
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bore — to tire
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. charge — in control
  24. stem — to come from

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