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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · charge · bound · stick · track · scale · pitcher · wax

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fall — the season
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. charge — electricity
  11. scale — in music
  12. charge — a price
  13. scale — size or range
  14. track — a song
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fall — to drop
  18. charge — in control
  19. track — a path
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. scale — for weighing

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