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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: mine · bound · swing · charge · staff · ball · wound · track

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. charge — in control
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ball — a great time
  10. mine — for digging
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. track — a song
  14. swing — in golf
  15. charge — electricity
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. charge — a price
  20. bound — certain
  21. swing — music
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wound — an injury

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