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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: branch · coach · wake · roll · field · bear · bound · charge

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. branch — a division
  3. field — a subject
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. charge — in control
  11. bound — tied together
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — farmland
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. roll — a list
  16. wake — a trail
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. field — for sport
  20. bound — certain
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. branch — of a bank

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