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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: hide · charge · saw · tube · chair · spring · perch · bound

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. saw — the tool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. tube — a container
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bound — certain
  20. perch — the fish
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. chair — a leader
  23. spring — a coil
  24. charge — in control

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