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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 116 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: coach · wake · root · pitch · charge · cell · leaves · bound

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. charge — a price
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. charge — electricity
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wake — a trail
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. root — the cause
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pitch — completely
  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