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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 116 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: cabinet · charge · bound · cold · can · tear · pit · stick

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bound — certain
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cold — an illness
  11. charge — a price
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. charge — in control
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pit — in a race
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. charge — electricity
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. tear — from crying

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