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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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468
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: bass · fork · drill · bound · mine · charge · kid · cap

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bound — tied together
  3. fork — in a road
  4. drill — army training
  5. charge — in control
  6. kid — to tease
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bound — certain
  11. drill — a practice
  12. kid — child
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cap — a lid
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bass — low music
  18. charge — a price
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. drill — the tool
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bass — the fish
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cap — a hat

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