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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: rest · tube · charge · key · spring · pop · bound · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bound — obliged
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bound — certain
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. spring — the season
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. key — the most important part
  13. spring — of water
  14. pop — to visit
  15. key — for a lock
  16. tear — to rip
  17. key — in music
  18. charge — in control
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tube — a container
  22. pop — soda
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pop — music

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