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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: bear · mug · bat · current · bound · charge · fall · lash

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mug — to rob
  8. charge — a price
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. current — of water
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — a face
  13. fall — to drop
  14. charge — in control
  15. fall — the season
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fall — to drop
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bear — the animal
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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