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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: chair · wave · pop · bound · degree · game · prune · charge

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bound — certain
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. prune — to trim
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — in control
  8. pop — music
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bound — tied together
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. degree — from a university
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. degree — an amount
  19. pop — to visit
  20. chair — a leader
  21. charge — electricity
  22. pop — soda
  23. degree — temperature
  24. prune — to trim

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