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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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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: charge · rest · bear · cold · cell · current · march · bore

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. current — happening now
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bore — to drill
  6. march — the month
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bore — to tire
  11. charge — a price
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bear — the animal
  15. current — of water
  16. rest — a break
  17. current — electric
  18. march — music
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rest — what's left
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. charge — in control

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