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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: tear · nail · charge · board · bound · leaves · wake · pitcher

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. tear — to rip
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. board — to get on
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. charge — in control
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bound — certain
  9. charge — a price
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. board — a committee
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. tear — from crying
  18. charge — electricity
  19. tear — from crying
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bound — obliged
  24. nail — for a hammer

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