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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 116 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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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: bank · charge · bound · tear · mouse · stick · pit · file

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. charge — electricity
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. charge — in control
  5. pit — a hole
  6. file — a tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pit — in a race
  10. charge — a price
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bank — for money
  13. tear — from crying
  14. file — a document
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. tear — from crying
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bound — obliged

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