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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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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rush — hurry
  4. charge — a price
  5. clip — for paper
  6. spell — a short time
  7. present — the time now
  8. snap — to click
  9. charge — electricity
  10. spell — letters
  11. present — a gift
  12. clip — a video
  13. bank — for money
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bound — tied together
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bank — for money
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bound — certain
  20. charge — in control
  21. bank — of a river
  22. present — there
  23. spell — magic
  24. rush — to hurry

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