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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: board · bound · rule · shower · hand · charge · bat · wax

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. shower — rain
  4. rule — government
  5. board — to get on
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. board — a committee
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bat — the animal
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — electricity
  15. rule — a law
  16. bound — certain
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bound — tied together
  23. charge — in control
  24. rule — to rule out

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