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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: toast · rash · leaves · tear · bass · charge · cell · bound

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. tear — from crying
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bound — tied together
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rash — a series
  12. bass — low music
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bound — certain
  15. toast — bread
  16. charge — in control
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bass — the fish
  21. charge — electricity
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bass — the instrument

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