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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: charge · bound · face · ruler · lean · wound · cabinet · pound

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. charge — in control
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. bound — certain
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bound — tied together
  7. charge — a price
  8. face — to confront
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lean — to bend
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. face — part of the head
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pound — a weight
  19. face — to point toward
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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