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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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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: kick · fall · wake · cell · charge · stand · bound · bowl

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wake — a trail
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — in control
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bound — obliged
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bound — certain
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. charge — a price

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