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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bound — certain
  3. object — to protest
  4. bound — tied together
  5. object — an aim
  6. lean — thin
  7. club — a group
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. spring — of water
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. row — to paddle
  15. object — a thing
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. capital — money
  19. row — a line
  20. capital — a city
  21. spring — the season
  22. club — for golf
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bound — obliged

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