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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: charge · net · coach · hide · bound · wake · present · scale

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. scale — in music
  7. wake — a trail
  8. net — for catching
  9. charge — electricity
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. present — a gift
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. charge — in control
  20. present — the time now
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bound — certain
  23. charge — a price
  24. present — there

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