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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: fall · cold · charge · roll · swing · cue · bound · stem

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. charge — in control
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bound — obliged
  6. charge — a price
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bound — certain
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. charge — electricity
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. cue — a signal
  15. roll — a list
  16. stem — to come from
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. roll — a cake
  23. fall — the season
  24. stem — a stem cell

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