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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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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 · land · charge · rash · mark · ball · row · spring

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. spring — the season
  3. land — a country
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bound — tied together
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bound — obliged
  8. ball — a great time
  9. charge — a price
  10. spring — of water
  11. land — ground
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. land — to come down
  14. rash — a series
  15. row — to paddle
  16. ball — a dance
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bound — certain
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — electricity
  23. rash — hasty
  24. ball — a round shape

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