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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: spring · charge · lie · march · bound · bass · bay · file

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. charge — in control
  4. march — music
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. march — the month
  7. charge — a price
  8. march — the month
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spring — the season
  12. charge — electricity
  13. lie — to recline
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. spring — of water
  22. file — a line of people
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bass — low music

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