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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. charge — a price
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rash — a series
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bound — certain
  14. charge — in control
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. charge — electricity
  21. spring — of water
  22. file — a tool
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. spring — a coil

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