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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: bound · stick · fork · spring · rash · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rash — a series
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. rash — hasty
  9. land — a country
  10. bound — obliged
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bound — certain
  17. fork — in a road
  18. land — ground

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