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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: row · ruler · charge · wake · prune · bound · rest · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. row — to paddle
  3. charge — a price
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wake — a trail
  7. prune — to trim
  8. charge — in control
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. prune — to trim
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. charge — electricity
  13. rest — what's left
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bound — certain
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rest — a break
  20. face — to point toward
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. row — a line
  23. bound — obliged
  24. ruler — for measuring

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