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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · bound · bore · tear · fall · roll · saw · charge

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. fall — the season
  3. bore — to tire
  4. charge — electricity
  5. tear — from crying
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bound — obliged
  8. roll — a cake
  9. charge — a price
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. charge — in control
  13. bound — tied together
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bore — to drill
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bound — certain

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