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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 120 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: clip · row · bark · content · charge · straw · bound · wave

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bound — certain
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. charge — a price
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. content — happy
  14. clip — a video
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. row — a line
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bark — to shout
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. charge — electricity
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. content — the amount

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