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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: lean · fan · bound · wake · clip · charge · saw · date

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. charge — a price
  3. bound — obliged
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. date — the fruit
  6. clip — for paper
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. saw — the tool
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. lean — to bend
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. clip — a video
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bound — tied together
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. lean — thin
  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