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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: pitcher · swing · tear · coach · charge · fall · wind · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. fall — to drop
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bound — obliged
  5. charge — in control
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. swing — in golf
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. charge — electricity
  11. swing — music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. charge — a price
  14. wind — moving air
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. swing — to play on
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fall — the season
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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