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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: lean · bound · charge · cue · bore · content · cell · rash

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cell — a phone
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bound — certain
  12. charge — in control
  13. content — the amount
  14. cell — in biology
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rash — a series
  17. charge — a price
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cue — a hint
  20. lean — to bend
  21. content — happy
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. lean — thin
  24. bound — tied together

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