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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: object · march · rest · charge · bound · spring · cue · saw

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. cue — a hint
  3. object — to protest
  4. spring — a coil
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cue — for pool
  7. march — the month
  8. cue — a signal
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rest — what's left
  11. object — a thing
  12. charge — in control
  13. bound — obliged
  14. march — the month
  15. spring — the season
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. saw — the tool
  19. object — an aim
  20. saw — the tool
  21. march — music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spring — of water
  24. charge — a price

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