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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: charge · cold · shower · suit · bear · march · bound · rush

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. march — the month
  3. cold — not warm
  4. suit — in cards
  5. charge — a price
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bound — certain
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bound — tied together
  12. suit — clothes
  13. march — the month
  14. rush — hurry
  15. charge — in control
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bear — the animal
  18. march — music
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. shower — rain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. charge — electricity

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