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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 · board · firm · chest · race · spring · bound · date

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. race — the arms race
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. firm — a company
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. firm — decided
  7. charge — a price
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bound — tied together
  12. spring — of water
  13. board — a committee
  14. firm — steady
  15. bound — obliged
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bound — certain
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. race — humankind
  20. spring — a coil
  21. chest — of your body
  22. race — a contest
  23. charge — in control
  24. board — to get on

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