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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wound — an injury
  3. row — to paddle
  4. charge — electricity
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. present — a gift
  9. charge — a price
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bound — certain
  12. tube — a container
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. spring — of water
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. rash — a series
  17. charge — in control
  18. present — the time now
  19. rash — hasty
  20. spring — the season
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bound — obliged
  23. present — there
  24. row — a line

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