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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. prune — to trim
  4. charge — in control
  5. bound — obliged
  6. charge — a price
  7. spell — a short time
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bound — tied together
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pop — music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bound — certain
  22. pop — soda
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. wind — moving air

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