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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 116 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 · bound · bank · object · spring · hand · charge · swing

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. spring — a coil
  4. swing — music
  5. charge — in control
  6. bank — for money
  7. hand — help
  8. swing — to play on
  9. row — a line
  10. bound — obliged
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. object — to protest
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bound — certain
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bank — for money
  20. spring — of water
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — an aim
  23. spring — the season
  24. row — a quarrel

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