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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: bark · row · fine · bound · cell · charge · wave · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. fine — all right
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bound — tied together
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bound — certain
  11. charge — a price
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. row — to paddle
  15. charge — electricity
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. row — a line
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bark — to shout
  21. charge — in control
  22. cell — a phone
  23. last — final
  24. cell — in biology

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