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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 120 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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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: bound · bowl · wake · charge · bore · net · bear · wave

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. net — in sport
  3. bound — tied together
  4. charge — electricity
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bound — certain
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bear — the animal
  16. charge — in control
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. charge — a price
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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