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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bound · chest · spring · rash · pitcher · hide · charge · stock

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. charge — in control
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. stock — shares
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rash — a series
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. charge — electricity
  11. chest — a box
  12. spring — of water
  13. stock — goods
  14. charge — a price
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bound — tied together
  20. spring — the season
  21. chest — of your body
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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