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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 120 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: file · kid · spring · bound · plane · wake

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — obliged
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. file — a document
  5. kid — to tease
  6. plane — a tool
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bound — certain
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. spring — the season
  13. file — a tool
  14. spring — of water
  15. wake — a trail
  16. file — a line of people
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child

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