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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · straw · pound · lie · bound · charge · mug · field

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. field — a subject
  3. root — of a word
  4. mug — a cup
  5. field — farmland
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. charge — in control
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. root — the cause
  18. charge — electricity
  19. mug — a face
  20. root — of a plant
  21. field — for sport
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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