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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: charge · wave · scale · field · bound · board · root · fall

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bound — obliged
  3. field — farmland
  4. scale — in music
  5. root — of a plant
  6. board — a committee
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. fall — the season
  11. bound — tied together
  12. root — of a word
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bound — certain
  15. board — to get on
  16. field — for sport
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. charge — in control
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. fall — to drop
  24. field — a subject

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