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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: bound · coach · spell · wake · wax · wound · court · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — in control
  3. court — of a king
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bound — obliged
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. court — for sport
  9. spell — letters
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wound — an injury
  13. court — of law
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spell — a short time
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. spell — magic
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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