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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 · fall · prune · mouse · drill · cold · rush

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. charge — in control
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. charge — a price
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rush — hurry
  15. drill — army training
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cold — an illness
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. prune — to trim

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