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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: wake · charge · bowl · content · rash · bound · leaves · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bound — certain
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bound — tied together
  6. track — a song
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. charge — electricity
  11. rash — a series
  12. bound — obliged
  13. content — the amount
  14. charge — in control
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. content — happy
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wake — a trail
  20. track — a path
  21. charge — a price
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rash — on the skin

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