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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: racket · net · shower · tube · bound · stand · clip · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. charge — in control
  4. clip — a video
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bound — certain
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. shower — to wash
  9. net — for catching
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bound — obliged
  12. tube — the underground
  13. clip — for paper
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. stand — to bear
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. tube — a container
  18. bound — tied together
  19. clip — to cut
  20. net — after costs
  21. shower — rain
  22. net — in sport
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stand — on your feet

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