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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: land · capital · charge · lash · bound · spell · file · net

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. net — for catching
  3. bound — obliged
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. net — in sport
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. land — ground
  9. file — a line of people
  10. charge — in control
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. charge — a price
  14. capital — a city
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. charge — electricity
  17. net — after costs
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. capital — money
  21. spell — letters
  22. file — a document
  23. bound — tied together
  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