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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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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: fork · band · toast · bound · stick · ruler · charge · spring

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bound — tied together
  4. spring — a coil
  5. charge — a price
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. spring — the season
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bound — certain
  12. band — a ring
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. charge — electricity
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. spring — of water
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. charge — in control
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. band — a music group
  21. bound — obliged
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — bread

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