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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: wave · rush · clip · bound · sharp · last · charge · track

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bound — certain
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. bound — tied together
  7. last — finally
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. charge — electricity
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bound — obliged
  12. clip — a video
  13. last — final
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. sharp — clever
  17. track — a path
  18. charge — in control
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. charge — a price
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. last — to go on
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. rush — to hurry

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