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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bound — certain
  3. spring — the season
  4. charge — a price
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bound — obliged
  9. charge — in control
  10. band — a music group
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ground — a position
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. band — a ring
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. band — a rubber band

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