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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: spring · charge · bound · foot · game · tube · fall · pound

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. charge — a price
  5. bound — certain
  6. fall — to drop
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pound — a weight
  9. spring — a coil
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bound — obliged
  13. tube — the underground
  14. charge — electricity
  15. tube — a container
  16. game — a match
  17. bound — tied together
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. game — wild animals
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. spring — of water
  23. charge — in control
  24. spring — the season

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