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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: charge · bay · rash · cold · root · bound · wound · stem

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. root — of a word
  3. charge — in control
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. root — of a plant
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bound — certain
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bound — tied together
  14. charge — electricity
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bound — obliged
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rash — a series
  24. root — the cause

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