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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — a subject
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bound — obliged
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — to fit
  11. field — for sport
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. suit — clothes
  15. spring — a coil
  16. hand — in cards
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. hand — help
  21. field — farmland
  22. bound — tied together
  23. spring — of water
  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