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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 · pound · fall · bound · wake · bulb · land · straw

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. charge — in control
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bulb — for light
  12. land — ground
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bulb — for light
  17. charge — electricity
  18. land — a country
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. charge — a price
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fall — the season
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bound — obliged

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