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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: row · leaves · fall · charge · rest · drill · band · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rest — a break
  3. row — a line
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fall — to drop
  9. charge — a price
  10. band — a music group
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rest — what's left
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bound — tied together
  16. band — a ring
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fall — the season
  20. row — to paddle
  21. charge — electricity
  22. fall — to drop
  23. charge — in control
  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