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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 116 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. content — happy
  7. bound — tied together
  8. charge — in control
  9. bound — certain
  10. charge — electricity
  11. content — the amount
  12. can — a tin
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. charge — a price
  20. can — a tin
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. bound — obliged
  24. coach — a trainer

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