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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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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — certain
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. spell — magic
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. spell — letters
  10. prune — to trim
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pop — soda
  13. cap — a hat
  14. spring — the season
  15. pop — to visit
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bound — obliged
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — of water
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pop — music
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. spell — a short time

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