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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: kid · plane · branch · wake · pound · spring · bound · charge

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pound — a weight
  3. charge — a price
  4. bound — certain
  5. charge — in control
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bound — obliged
  9. kid — child
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. spring — a coil
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. branch — a division
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. spring — of water
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bound — tied together
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. plane — a tool

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